Moto GP: Vinales penalized, Bagnaia will start in pole position

The Spaniard Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) was, this Sunday, penalized by three places on the starting grid of the Valencia GP, last round of the MotoGP season, and it is therefore the Italian Francesco Bagnaia, well placed for to be crowned world champion, who will start in pole position.

Vinales, who was to start in the lead on Sunday, was sanctioned by the stewards for not having “immediately left the track” during the warm-up on Sunday morning when a black flag with an orange circle was brandished at him after smoke appeared. escaped from her motorcycle.

“Drivers must obey flag signals, light signals, and the dashboard which gives instructions, including messages from race direction,” the race stewards said in their press release revealing their decision.

Vinales is therefore demoted to fourth place and the first row will now be occupied by Bagnaia, the Frenchman Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac) and the Australian Jack Miller (KTM).

This sanction could have consequences in the title race since the Italian will benefit from it while his Spanish opponent Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac), who is 14 points behind while there are a maximum of 25 points left to distribute during the Grand Price, will start from sixth place.