At a glance: Under FIM MotoGP Sporting Regulations, a ride-through penalty requires a rider to ride through the pit lane without stopping before rejoining the circuit. The rider must comply within three laps following notification, with the lap count officially beginning on the first crossing of the finish line after the dashboard message is sent. Failure to serve the penalty within this three-lap window results in an immediate black flag.
Official Notification and the Three-Lap Serving Window
When FIM MotoGP Stewards issue a ride-through penalty during a Grand Prix, the sanction is officially communicated directly to the rider via dashboard signals. The decision is simultaneously transmitted to the team through official timekeeping and television monitors, and teams may additionally choose to display a physical pit board to alert their rider.
The deadline to serve the penalty is strictly timed. The count of laps to comply begins on the rider's first crossing of the finish line after the dashboard instruction has been dispatched. The rider must enter the pit lane to complete the ride-through within 3 laps following that penalty notification. If the rider fails to enter the pit lane within those three laps, stewards will display the black flag and signal, disqualifying the rider from the race.
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Pit Lane Speed Limits and Infractions
While executing the penalty, stopping in the pit lane is strictly prohibited; the rider must continuously traverse the pit lane and rejoin the track. Riders are also required to respect the designated pit lane speed limit under Art. 1.21.14.
Exceeding the pit lane speed limit during a ride-through triggers immediate escalation by the FIM MotoGP Stewards. The default sanction for a pit lane speed infraction is a Double Long Lap penalty, though stewards retain the discretion to apply alternative penalties. Any repeated speed limit infractions during the remainder of the race face further punitive measures.
Race Interruptions and Post-Race Time Penalties
The ride-through regulations outline explicit procedures for race disruptions and late-race scenarios:
- Interrupted and Restarted Races: In the event of a red-flagged race interrupted before a rider has complied with an active ride-through, the rider must complete the penalty after the start of the second part of the race. The standard ride-through rules apply equally to any restarted race.
- Unsignalled End-of-Race Conversion: If Race Direction is unable to signal the penalty or decides not to communicate it before the end of the race, the rider is not black-flagged. Instead, Race Direction inflicts a post-race time penalty. This duration is calculated to reflect the standard time lost during a pit lane ride-through and is communicated to teams prior to the start of the race. This standard time adjustment stands apart from the severe disqualification applied when a rider ignores active track signals.
