MotoGP riders are proposing to have a red flag button installed on their bikes so that sessions can be suspended for safety reasons if a supermajority of riders deems it necessary, according to VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini.
The track conditions on the opening day of action at the high-speed Phillip Island venue were concerning for some riders, with both Alex Rins (Suzuki) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) feeling that first practice in particular – with “wet patches crossing the track and some kerbs full of water” after Thursday’s floods – was “on the limit”.
Marini, for his part, was more concerned by the wind, saying that he was being pushed off track coming out of Turn 2.
And while Marini didn’t feel it was over the limit – suggesting instead that, given it was practice, those who felt the risk of crashing was too high simply stayed in the pit lane – he did lament the fact that “every time we wait for a crash to make a red flag, we don’t try to avoid this problem”.
Marini cited KTM rider Miguel Oliveira’s fast crash the last time MotoGP visited Phillip Island, when the Portuguese was visibly pushed off track on corner entry and went down on the grass as a result, barely able to scrub off any speed.
😲 @_moliveira88 has a high speed crash at Doohan corner!
The @Tech3Racing rider is conscious and being helped away on a stretcher 💢#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/LOpKexin8J
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 26, 2019
It triggered a postponement of qualifying from Saturday to Sunday, and effectively ended Oliveira’s rookie season on the spot due to injuries.
“It’s difficult also to take this [red flag] decision,” Marini conceded. “I think IRTA [teams’ association] or Dorna [promoter] or the [race] director [Mike Webb]when they need to take this kind of decision, it’s not an easy job for them, because they are not on track.
“They are here [in the paddock] and from here you don’t feel the wind. So, we are asking to them, also in the safety commission, to have like a button to push it, and then maybe if 80% of the grid push this button, also in a race for example, they can have a red flag . To just send you more information.
“Because if you look at the race from the TV, you don’t see anything.”
There is already a conventional method for riders signaling that the race needs to be stopped – a raised hand, which is a common sight for, for example, races when the rain suddenly picks up.
“I think now the technology is much better,” Marini said. “And when you lift your hand, you just see three-four guys in the front, they can have something in their mind for having an advantage for lift their hand in that moment.
“But when 80% of the riders, even the last one, even P16, pushes a button, sends a signal that it’s a dangerous situation, it’s OK. It’s like a vote. It’s like a political situation.”
MotoGP trialled team radio – which could’ve been a potential solution to this issue – two years ago, but riders remained seemingly unconvinced by the idea, feeling it would cause too much of a distraction.
“I think would be easier for them [race control] if we can send them information,” Marini continued.
“Like in Formula 1, but we cannot speak, much too difficult to speak, but pushing a button we can do easily, because we are all around the lap pushing something. One more is not a problem.
“We are also open to try other things, but this was the easiest one.”