The debate sparked at the Catalan Grand Prix over the decision not to suspend the MotoGP race despite two red flags may become the final push needed for riders to unite under an association capable of defending their interests, much like the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association does in Formula 1.
Sunday’s race in Montmelo brought together all the elements that make motorcycle racing unique in the global sporting landscape – something Liberty Media clearly recognised when it invested more than $4billion to acquire MotoGP. The events once again made it clear that MotoGP riders are the closest thing motorsport has to astronauts or aliens, because of their ability to reset mentally after witnessing two horrifying accidents involving Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco, incidents that forced the race to be stopped twice.
With the Spaniard and the Frenchman both on their way to hospital, the rest of the grid still had to climb back onto their bikes for a third start that, in the eyes of most of them, should never have happened.
“It’s true that we already have experience with situations like the one we’ve just gone through. And I understand that the show has to continue after a red flag,” reflected Pedro Acosta, whose bike issue unintentionally triggered the violent crash involving Marquez that caused the first stoppage. “But I don’t agree with having to restart a third time after two incidents that were so ugly.” KTM’s initial diagnosis concluded that an electronic failure on the RC16 caused a total shutdown of the prototype under acceleration, just as the Gresini rider was tucked directly behind him with no time to react.
Jorge Martin expressed a near-identical view to Acosta: “They always say the show must go on, but I think there comes a point where you have to start thinking about the human side. I don’t know to what extent it was necessary to keep chasing that level of risk. I’m an employee – I do what I’m told – but we need to reflect and think about whether it’s really worth risking our lives like this. Restarting three times is very dangerous and excessive. Mentally, I can handle it, but others can’t. The atmosphere that gets created almost invites these kinds of things to happen.”
Even Fabio Di Giannantonio, the eventual race winner, admitted he had doubts about whether returning to the track for a third time was appropriate on a Sunday full of warning signs suggesting everyone should simply pack up and go home. “There’s always that question of whether to continue or stop. This is a show, but we also have to remember we’re human beings,” said Di Giannantonio.
Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing crash
Photo by: DANIEL BALLARIN / AFP via Getty Images
The last time a MotoGP event was cancelled entirely without activity resuming was at Sepang in 2011, on the tragic day Marco Simoncelli lost his life.
The anguish surrounding incidents like those seen at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya tends to have a limited lifespan within the paddock. The atmosphere of shock this Sunday resembled what was felt last year in Malaysia after the collision between Noah Dettwiler and Jose Antonio Rueda on the Moto3 formation lap. On that occasion too, amid uncertainty over the young Swiss rider’s condition, several voices questioned the decision to proceed with the race.
“That race should never have started,” Acosta said that day in Sepang.
What happened at Montmelo perfectly illustrates the imbalance between the role riders play and the actual influence they wield during moments as critical and extreme as those experienced on Sunday.
The scenario might have been very different had the riders spoken collectively – namely, a riders’ association that has been talked about for years but never fully materialised
By the afternoon, there was a broad consensus among the riders that cancelling the grand prix would have been the correct decision, given they were not in the proper mental condition to race. Yet that consensus carried insufficient weight to challenge the organisers’ decision to continue with the scheduled programme.
The scenario might have been very different had the riders spoken collectively, united under an umbrella organisation capable of representing them – namely, a riders’ association that has been talked about for years but never fully materialised. Individualism, the lack of cohesion and the absence of a true collective mindset are the main reasons why.
That perception is reinforced by complaints from several riders regarding poor attendance at Friday Safety Commission meetings. In those meetings, riders sit down with organisers behind closed doors to discuss any issue that concern them.
The MotoGP riders voiced the same opinion that the race should’ve been cancelled but didn’t act united
Photo by: Eric Alonso / Getty Images
“It doesn’t matter whether we’re friends or not. What matters is respect,” Bagnaia said. “When there are important things like the Safety Commission, we have to be there, full stop. We are the ones who know where the limits are. And if we believe something is serious enough that we shouldn’t race, then we have to say it. But if only three riders show up to Safety Commission meetings, then we lose a huge amount of influence.” Bagnaia was referring to the previous Friday at Le Mans, where only he, Jack Miller and Luca Marini attended.
It was there that an immediate regulation change concerning pitlane entry procedures was agreed, following the incident involving Marc Marquez in Jerez.
“I’ve always believed those kinds of changes should be made at the end of the season,” Bagnaia added. “But what influence are we going to have if only three of us think that way?”
In Formula 1, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) was originally founded in 1961 under the presidency of Stirling Moss before being re-established in 1994. Since then, the organisation – currently led by Alexander Wurz, George Russell and Carlos Sainz, with legal support from Anastasia Fowle’s law firm – has given drivers a collective voice whenever they deemed it necessary.
Two years ago, the GPDA sent an open letter criticising the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem for treating drivers “like children” and threatening them with sanctions over the use of offensive language.
In 2022, the F1 grid came very close to refusing to drive during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend after explosions just a few kilometres away from the circuit.
The F1 drivers speak as one through the GPDA along with legal assistance
Photo by: Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images
MotoGP came closest to establishing a similar body in 2023. At the time, the grid agreed that Sylvain Guintoli was the right person to act as representative and spokesperson. However, the process collapsed when discussions turned to funding and how the organisation’s operating costs would be covered.
It is also worth noting that Dorna viewed the initiative with suspicion because of the potential counterbalance of power it could create.
“MotoGP riders are different from Formula 1 drivers. Here, everyone looks after themselves, and they fail to understand something obvious: united, they would be far stronger and could achieve much more for the common good,” an agent representing several riders told Autosport. “It’s a matter of education and awareness. With this mentality, they will always be on the losing side in any dispute or confrontation with Dorna.”
The championship rests on four pillars: the promoter, the manufacturers, the teams and the riders. The promoter naturally holds most of the power. The manufacturers are grouped under the MSMA, while the teams are represented by IRTA.
The only stakeholders still left exposed are the riders themselves – the main gladiators of this circus and, paradoxically, also the ones most vulnerable in every possible sense.
Will events at the Catalan GP trigger the riders into action?
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
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– The Autosport.com Team
