Johann Zarco has been formally given a double long lap penalty for whenever his next MotoGP race happens, for causing a pile-up in which he was injured.
LCR Honda rider Zarco crashed into Luca Marini and Pecco Bagnaia at the restart of May's Catalan Grand Prix and sustained multiple injuries when he became entangled in Bagnaia's Ducati as it tumbled through the gravel.
The most concerning element was the damage to his left knee, which it was feared would affect the ligaments and require surgery that would end his 2026 season. It could not be fully assessed until the swelling subsided.
It's standard practice in MotoGP that in a case where a rider is injured in a crash, they could be liable for a penalty, which is not assessed until that rider is fit to return.
That's not quite the case for Zarco, but just days after the news came out that his knee damage was not as serious as feared, the MotoGP stewards convened at the start of the German GP weekend and awarded Zarco the expected double long lap for triggering the Catalan GP crash.
That means the penalty has been awarded two months after the accident, and probably around two months before it will be served - as the current expectation for when Zarco might be fit to return is the Misano/Red Bull Ring double-header in mid-September.
Cal Crutchlow has returned to MotoGP for now as his stand-in.
from The Race https://ift.tt/ZlMo8sO
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