Johann Zarco will serve a double long-lap penalty in the Japanese Grand Prix after an incident during Sunday morning’s warm-up at Motegi. The rider had crashed and, according to the FIM Stewards’ decision, then tried to bring his motorcycle back to life while it was still on the track side of the protection line.

The attempt took place before the first line of protection at Turn 9, with the motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction. The Stewards judged that the manoeuvre could put Zarco and other participants at risk, and classified it as a breach of Article 1.21.4 of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Regulations. The restriction is part of MotoGP’s engine-restart rules introduced for 2026.

The prescribed procedure is different when a motorcycle stops after a crash or because of a technical problem. Marshals must move it behind the first line of protection, where the rider may carry out repairs or adjustments alone. Marshals can help push the machine along the service road so the rider can restart it there, but a push-start is not allowed on the track side of the protection line. Zarco was 12th fastest in the extended warm-up. Alex Marquez also had a double long-lap penalty for the Japanese Grand Prix after causing a multi-rider collision on the opening lap of the Sprint.