Overview
- Race stewards issued two-place grid penalties after qualifying for riders Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini for impeding Marc Marquez on his hot lap approaching Turn 12.
- Bezzecchi drops from second to fourth for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, which moves Pedro Acosta to the front row alongside polesitter Fabio Di Giannantonio and promotes Francesco Bagnaia to the front row.
- The penalties affect only the main race, so the Saturday sprint lineup stays as it was set in qualifying.
- Stewards cited broadcast footage and noted Bezzecchi rode slowly on the racing line and Marini did not sufficiently yield, then applied a lighter first-offense sanction due to traffic and Bezzecchi’s clean record.
- A separate clash between Marquez and Enea Bastianini drew no penalty, with Marquez admonished for giving too little warning and warned that a repeat could bring a sanction.