The RNF Aprilia MotoGP squad has called for MotoGP stewards to hand out harsher penalties going forward following the events of the Portuguese Grand Prix.
The outfit saw rider Miguel Oliveira taken out of his home grand prix on Sunday after Marc Marquez made a mistake under braking on entry to Turn 3 on the second lap of the contest, with the Honda pilot clipping Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin before slamming into the side of Oliveira.
Both Marquez and Oliveira sustained injuries that will rule them out of this weekend’s Argentinean GP and Marquez was slapped with a double long-lap penalty for the next race he competes in for his part in the incident.
The general consensus from the paddock and from observers though is that this was too lenient a penalty for the Spaniard, with Martin remarking post race that more needs to be done regarding the strictness of penalties dished out to guilty riders.
Oliveira’s RNF team has now joined the calls for harsher penalties in future, the Romanian-owned operation releasing a statement on Tuesday afternoon calling out the FIM stewarding panel for its lenience in giving out punishment.
“CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team, following a recent incident of reckless and irresponsible racing displayed by Marc Marquez against Miguel Oliveira is pushing for harsher and severe penalties from the FIM Stewards,” began the statement.
“MotoGP races, whether it be a sprint or main race, are high-speed and high-intensity, where every rider wants to win at all costs. However, such aggressive behaviour can often lead to dire consequences, not only for the riders themselves but also for their fellow competitors.
“The incident at the recent race between Marc Marquez and Miguel Oliveira should serve as a wake-up call for riders in MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3. Thus, it is imperative that they are reminded of the severity of the punishment for any kind of reckless and irresponsible racing.
“CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team condemns such behaviour and strongly advocates for stricter penalties to deter future offenders including the team own riders.
“We urge the FIM Stewards to take quick and decisive action against such reckless riding, setting examples for the younger and upcoming riders in Moto3 and Moto2.
“We believe that safety is the top priority in any sport, and MotoGP must take necessary actions to ensure the safety of all its riders.
“We look forward to supporting the FIM Stewards in their ongoing efforts to develop a safer and more responsible racing environment.”
