Alex Rins was involved in a heated exchange with marshals after crashing during Friday afternoon’s Practice session at the Indonesian Grand Prix. The Yamaha rider went down late in the session at Mandalika, with about two minutes remaining.

Video circulating on social media shows Rins being taken towards the paddock on a marshal’s scooter. Two other marshals then appear to stop him, leading to an argument. Rins gets off, raises his middle finger towards the group and later leaves with assistance from a photographer. The reason for the initial stop has not been explained, while Rins did not address the incident during his media debrief after the session.

Why Rins could not return to the track

MotoGP’s current rules state that a motorcycle whose engine stops in a crash cannot be restarted at the side of the track. It must be taken to an escape road instead, leaving Rins without enough time to get the Yamaha running and rejoin Practice.

The FIM stewards’ end-of-day notes did not list the incident as an investigation, and it remains unclear whether the officials had been informed. Previous cases show that mistreating marshals can bring serious sanctions. Marco Bezzecchi was suspended from the Czech Grand Prix after striking a marshal in the gravel trap following a sprint crash. In 2025, Fabio Quartararo received a fine and a 10-minute FP1 suspension at Silverstone after a similar incident at the French Grand Prix. He had received a verbal warning for another such episode at the Spanish Grand Prix a few weeks earlier. Any disciplinary follow-up involving Rins remains open.