Tyre pressure caused issues for several riders in the MotoGP Malaysian GP race, resulting in a series of warnings for the respective infractions, including the race winner.
The rules introduced in the British GP in August specify a minimum pressure to the front tyre. The first infraction results in a warning, and thereafter, time penalties are awarded incrementally – three seconds for the second infraction, six seconds for the third infraction, and 12 seconds for the fourth.
In Sepang, the stewards warned five riders for violating the minimum pressure limit. The winner, Enea Bastianini (Ducati), was one of them, as well as his teammate and championship leader Francesco Bagnaia, who finished third.
The other warnings were issued to Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati), Iker Lecuona (LCR Honda), and wildcard Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati).
The rule was introduced midway through the season, and in just 12 rounds, 13 riders have been warned for an infraction, with Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) already being penalized. Thus, if nothing is changed, there may be several penalties and consequences for the quality of the races – especially because the idea is for disqualification to be the sanction in the future.