MotoGP is expected to begin issuing €5,000 fines to riders who miss promotional events during race weekends. Repeat absences could also lead to sporting penalties, although their precise form has not been specified. The planned sanctions have put the balance between rider obligations and the demands of a race weekend under renewed scrutiny.

Pedro Acosta rejected the idea that attendance should be enforced without regard to a rider’s condition. He argued that the organisation must consider what is happening behind each decision and allow more discretion when pain or injury is involved. In his view, a rider’s physical state is not merely a question of comfort: it can affect what happens on track, including the ability to brake safely.

Acosta used Raul Fernandez as an example. Fernandez had a broken bone and needed to deal with the injury because he uses that finger for braking. For the KTM rider, the decision to attend an event should depend on the circumstances and the timing, rather than on an inflexible rule applied to everyone. He also backed Marc Marquez’s decision not to take part in a karting race before the Japanese Grand Prix, after Marquez had criticised the new penalties at Mandalika.

A wider question about rider representation

The dispute is part of a broader conversation about the announced 2027 race-weekend format and the lack of collective representation for riders. Acosta doubts that a riders’ union will ever be formed, arguing that riders and teams ultimately pursue their own interests. He warned that the pressure surrounding MotoGP could make careers shorter and leave some of the sport’s legends unwilling to return to the paddock. His position is not a rejection of public appearances as such, but a demand that safety, injury and timing be considered before penalties are imposed.