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Zarco Injury and Barcelona Crashes Force MotoGP Safety Rethink

The steward probe into the Turn 1 pile-up is on hold until he can attend, with riders pushing collective fixes.

Overview

  • LCR Honda confirmed Johann Zarco has severe ligament damage in his left leg and will undergo surgery, and stewards postponed his hearing into the Turn 1 crash until he is available.
  • Pecco Bagnaia said replays show Zarco did not make a mistake and suggested a problem with the bike, and he reported dizziness during the restart with a possible wrist issue to be checked.
  • Riders questioned the third restart after two red flags, with Pedro Acosta calling it unnecessary given injured riders and repeated heavy crashes.
  • Luca Marini urged the grid to act together on safety, including a push to curb ride-height devices at specific tracks in 2026 after an earlier attempt stalled without team agreement.
  • The Barcelona start sends bikes almost half a mile to Turn 1 at close to 180 mph, a long run riders say raises first-corner risk and could be mitigated by moving the start line.