Marini: MotoGP should consider football-style approach to in-race incidents

The first-time poleman enjoyed a podium showing in the sprint race at Mandalika last Saturday but was unable to fight for another rostrum in the grand prix. 

A collision triggered by KTM's Binder took Marini down on the second lap, with the Italian retiring a few tours later having remounted to serve a long lap penalty he had hanging over him for an incident in India. 

Binder was involved in another incident later in the race when he ran too hot into Turn 2 and forced RNF Aprilia's Miguel Oliveira to run through the gravel. 

The South African was handed a long lap penalty for each incident, which he later said he felt he fully deserved after getting to the chequered flag in sixth. 

In recent years, long-lap penalties have become a standard punishment for most in-race incidents.

Marini suggests MotoGP should look at introducing a sliding scale for repeat offenders in one race, akin to the yellow and red cards in Football. 

"This is a strange case, that maybe happened for the first time, I don't know," the VR46 rider explained. 

"But maybe the penalty, we can speak about this and maybe the second penalty can be a little bit worse as in football, like with the yellow card and then the red card. 

Luca Marini, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

"Something like this. We should think together because we want more safety, as usual. So, that will be a point in the next safety commission, I think."

Marini says Binder came to explain what happened in their tangle and calmed down after finding out the KTM rider suffered from brake pad knock-back on the way into Turn 10 – which affected his ability to stop. 

"Well, I have pain in my thumb like in Le Mans. The incident was similar," Marini added, referencing a collision he had at the French GP in May. 

"I got hit from behind and it looks like my thumb… I don't know what happened, but the feeling is as bad as it was in Le Mans. 

"It was impossible [to avoid]. I just saw a flash, but Brad went to my office and explained to me everything and now I am less angry. 

"He said over the kerb he had a moment of the bike, and sometimes it can happen that the pads of the front brake are far away [knocked back]. 

"This happened to me also this weekend, but it's just bad luck I think in my case. This is something I cannot manage."