It will be called Long Lap Penalty and it will almost certainly debut at the opening of the Grand Prix in Qatar. Yesterday MotoGP riders were asked to try a new type of penalty, which consists of driving a longer distance at a certain point along the route. (In Losail, the experiment was carried out in curve 6, which can be clearly seen in the photo above.)
“I listened to the drivers’ advice and the majority agreed with this solution“, Said Loris Capirossi, member of the race management.Next week we’ll let the other riders try it out in the Moto2 and Moto3 tests and then decide.“
The new method of punishment will almost certainly be approved.
“We realized that the penalty for forcing a driver to give up a position is not the right thing to do because those who followed closely are wasting time,” continued Loris. “This solution seems more correct to us. Obviously, this is just a test. This alternative course for the Grand Prix is drawn with a double line for better definition.“
The Long Lap Penalty will therefore be the innovation for 2019, and the specific places on each route have already been identified.
“We only have some problems on three of the tracks. If we do not have the necessary security conditions to create this course, we will use the old method,“, Capirossi concluded.