Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia set a record-breaking lap time and first took pole in the Q2 session on Saturday at the Algarve circuit.
However, his pole time was stripped of him after he was believed to have set it when he drove through a yellow flag zone at the Craig Jones corner where KTM’s Miguel Oliveira had crashed.
Bagnaia was thereby thrown back from pole to 11th place, claiming it was “impossible” to see the yellow flag on his right as he was leaning to the left at that point.
MotoGP tightened its yellow flag rule last season, with any lap driven by a driver who has passed a warning being automatically deleted.
Espargaro sympathized with Bagnaia but believes the rule needs to be enforced because “you can kill a marshal” if you crash while driving through a yellow flag zone.
“You can’t go into Pecco’s brain or eyes so I trust him when he says he couldn’t see,” Espargaro said.
“But we have rules for safety. [On Friday] I think I crashed at Turn 11 and a lot of drivers accelerated.
“Pecco was wide in those corners and went far when I was in the gravel trying to pick up the bike with the marshals.
“So the rule is the rule and I think Dorna has to be even stricter.
“If there are yellow flags, it’s because someone is there. If they crash, you can kill a marshal.
“So I feel sorry for you because I know he drove an incredible lap and got pole position. But it’s very dangerous. “
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When asked whether tougher penalties should be imposed on those who repeatedly push through yellow flag zones, he added, “100% sure, tell me what else Dorna can do?
“They have more yellow flags than ever, they have LED panels.
“[So do we] start using radios or put the yellow flag on the dashboard? It is difficult to do more.
“So yeah, for me I think they have to be stronger.”
Bagnaia’s Ducati team-mate Jack Miller has violated the yellow flag rule several times since it was introduced and has repeatedly criticized its enforcement.
After Saturday’s drama, Miller questioned the rule again, saying, “I’ve received this sentence a couple of times.
“It’s like there’s no point arguing with them [Race Direction] because there is no real logic, especially when it is.
“It doesn’t make sense because these tires don’t work at all, you have a very narrow window as to when they work, we say, and if you’ve already pushed this lap – like Pecco, for example, he’s already far on this lap – you won’t have the same chance on this tire again.
“It cost me a Q2 in Aragon last year. I do not agree.”