Marc Marquez avoided a penalty at the Thailand MotoGP, despite his leathers coming undone after an accident. This incident sparked some controversy among fans and observers, as MotoGP regulations require riders to keep all safety equipment properly fastened during track activity.
Marquez crashed early in the race and explained that “the suit opened, I think, when the airbag deployed.” The Spanish rider managed to rejoin the race after the crash and finished in 11th place. Onboard footage revealed that the safety clasp at the top of his leathers popped open while he was back on track, prompting questions about a potential rule breach.
FIM Decision: Discretion applied
Despite the regulations, the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) stewards decided not to penalize Marquez, citing the possibility of applying discretion in cases of safety equipment malfunction, especially when unforeseen factors are involved. According to exclusive information from Crash.net, a Dorna spokesperson confirmed that in these cases, discretion may be applied due to external variables, such as the limited time the rider would have to react.
Following the crash and the impact on the suit’s safety clasp, the stewards determined that Marquez did not have a chance to fix the malfunction, leading to their decision not to penalize him.
What the rules say
Article 2.4.5.2 of the MotoGP rulebook, under the Rider’s Safety Equipment section, is clear: each rider must start every race with at least two complete sets of safety equipment, including a helmet, one-piece leather suit, gloves, boots, back protector, and chest protector. This equipment must be properly worn and fastened at all times during track activity. In some cases, such as with the airbag system, functionality is required at least at the start of each session.
The final decision on rider equipment compliance rests with the Technical Director.
Previous cases: Fabio Quartararo was sanctioned and admitted his fault
Past incidents show that penalties can be applied in similar cases. During the 2021 Catalan GP, Fabio Quartararo was penalized three seconds when his leathers opened, and he removed his chest protector, infringing the same Article 2.4.5.2. Quartararo later admitted that the penalty was fair. Last year in India, Jorge Martin’s leathers briefly came undone, but he managed to zip them back up and was not penalized.
The stewards’ decision regarding Marquez suggests that, in cases with extenuating circumstances, such as equipment damage after a crash, a flexible interpretation of the regulation is possible.