MotoGP to introduce pre-race protocol seen in F1

Marc Marquez has expressed frustration at MotoGP’s new Formula 1-style pre-race ceremony that he believes can disrupt riders’ preparations before the start.

Starting with this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix, MotoGP will introduce a new protocol that will require all riders to line up at the front of the grid before the start of the Sunday race to pay tribute to the host country’s flag while the national anthem is played. 

This format has been in use for several years now in F1. Until now, MotoGP riders remained near their starting positions on the grid, with some listening to instructions from their technicians and others simply concentrating before the start. 

Now, the race promoters want them all standing at the front of the grid.

When asked for his response about the change in protocol, Marquez said: “I wasn’t aware of it, to be honest. They keep asking us for more and more; one day we’ll explode. But we don’t decide these kinds of things.”

Finding out about this last-minute change from the media was enough to annoy the Spaniard, who, until then, had a fairly straightforward day at Misano.

After facing defeat to his brother and Gresini rival Alex Marquez last weekend at the Catalan GP, he returned to the front on Friday, setting the fastest time in the main practice session.

It wasn’t a smooth start to the day for the factory Ducati rider, who finished a quarter of a second off the pace in FP1. But a “reset” allowed him to strike back in the hour-long session, where he enjoyed a 0.147s pace advantage over his nearest rival Marco Bezzecchi.

“In Catalunya, I was not far, it was only Alex who was faster than me,” he said. “It looks like this weekend all the Italian riders are starting in a very good shape from FP1. 

“In fact, in FP1, I was struggling, I was fighting against the bike, I felt everything. Coming from Catalunya, I arrived here and I was not the only one [at the front]. 

“The feeling was super stiff with the bike and shaking everywhere. But then I did a reset for the practice and then I started to ride in a different way. I did a step on the riding style and also the team helped me with the set-up.”

Despite leading the timesheets, Marquez explained that not everything was working as intended, implying that he still has a lot of margin for improvement.

“Here from the first run, the bike was super stiff because of the very high grip,” he said. “Then the bike was super powerful because of the shorter track and shorter gearbox. 

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

“And also it was like very hard brake points. In Catalunya you need to release the brake and use the corner speed. Here it is completely the opposite.”

Misano’s high-grip asphalt, however, is expected to suit the 32-year-old as he inches closer to his seventh premier class title: “Grip is super good, but always very small bumps, not big bumps. It’s like small ripples. It’s shaking, but it’s shaking for everybody, so it’s acceptable.”