“It was too much” - KTM MotoGP star hits out at Hungary clash penalty
Enea Bastianini was not happy with the penalty he received for a collision at the Hungarian GP
Tech3 KTM MotoGP rider Enea Bastianini believes the penalty he received for a collision at Turn 1 in the Hungarian Grand Prix “was too much” given the nature of the incident.
The Italian was battling for fifth with Honda’s Luca Marini on the sixth lap of last Sunday’s race at Balaton Park when he made contact with his team-mate, Joan Mir.
Enea Bastianini ran wide at Turn 1 trying to pass Marini and cut back across to the racing line for Turn 2 when he hit the side of Mir’s Honda.
The Tech3 rider was given a long lap penalty for this, which he feels was too harsh because “Joan didn’t crash” and “I was in front of him”.
He then took aim at what he feels has been stricter stewarding in 2026.
“Well, for me it was too much to make the long lap,” Bastianini said.
“Probably it was better to make the drop one position; for me that was the good penalty.
“Joan didn’t crash, and also I was in front of him.
“I didn't see the bike; when I saw him I tried not to touch him, but well, when it arrived I touched him a bit.
“It was too much, the penalty, but this year we have seen a lot of penalties, and that is the new regulation.”
Bastianini got a second long lap penalty for shortcutting a chicane and not ceding the required one-second to avoid gaining an advantage.
He took the chequered flag in ninth after a last-corner overtake on KTM stablemate Brad Binder on the final lap.
“Yes, it's been a strange race for me, and when I saw the incident in turn number one [involving Jorge Martin] I thought about the red flag, because I saw many riders down,” he added on his race/
“But, at the end, we continued, and I was in a good position, fighting for something good.
“But I arrived in turn number one after shaking the bike in the last corner without brakes, and I went straight on the outside, and when I came back I saw Joan, but it was a bit late, and I touched him, and I received the long lap penalty.
“And after trying to recover position, I cut the chicane. I lost the position to Toprak [Razgatlioglu].
“I tried to lose one second, but probably I didn't lose one second; that is why I made other long laps.
“But for the rest it's been a crazy race; when I was behind two other riders, to overtake was very difficult.”
In this article
