MotoGP has proposed a €5000 fine for any rider who misses fan-engagement events during a race weekend. The measure would begin with the Hero Walk at the Indonesian Grand Prix, while sporting penalties were also raised as a possible response to similar absences. MotoGP is seeking to curb what it sees as a growing pattern of riders missing these promotional commitments.

Alex Márquez says the riders are being pushed to their limits and that their perspective is not receiving enough attention. He pointed to the scale of the proposed sanction: missing just ten minutes of the Hero Walk could, in his view, result in a €5000 fine. Márquez linked the growing fatigue to the increasing number of races and events, as well as the heat and demanding conditions of the season. He also underlined the physical cost of the racing itself, saying the riders spent 45 minutes competing at a heart rate of 190 beats per minute.

The Indonesian conditions sharpened the reaction. Alex Rins said races such as that one, held in punishing heat, leave the riders completely exhausted. After the 13-lap Sprint, Marc Márquez said he felt dizzy during the ceremonies that followed the race. Marc Márquez had also sent a substitute to take part in a kart race in Japan so that he could rest before the Grand Prix, adding another example to the debate over obligations away from the track.

The dispute reaches into 2027

Alex Márquez warned that the pressure could increase further in 2027 with the new qualifying format. The difficulty of building a common position was also evident at the Safety Commission meeting: Pecco Bagnaia said that only four riders attended. Riders who do not take part in those discussions argue that their concerns do not lead to meaningful changes, while reaching agreement across a 22-rider field remains extremely difficult.

Against that backdrop, Pedro Acosta said the right moment to create a riders’ union may already have passed, because competing personal interests make a joint effort difficult. The shared opposition to the PR-event penalties and the negative reaction to the 2027 format have nevertheless added force to the union debate. The issue is no longer limited to attendance at one Hero Walk; it also concerns how a race weekend is structured for riders competing under increasingly demanding physical conditions.