2020 MotoGP: Petronas Yamaha SRT penalised by FIM

A technical oversight on the part of Yamaha Motor Company has cost Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT) 37 World Championship Team points. This drops SRT to second in the team championship with 198 points, handing the lead to Team Suzuki Ecstar with 242.

Penalties were also handed out to Yamaha Motor Company and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP for a similar infringement of the technical rules. This means Yamaha Motor Company is docked 50 points while Monster Energy Yamaha is penalised 20 points.

However, team riders – Fabio Quartararo and Frankie Morbidelli of SRT and Maverick Vinales of Monster Energy Yamaha – did receive any penalty, preserving their Riders World Championship positions. The sanction was handed out by the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel under Article 3.5.5 of the FIM World Championship Grand Prix regulations.

The Stewards’ sanction was in regard to technical infringements to the engine used in the Yamaha YZR-M1 where any modification to the race engine during the course of the season requires the unanimous approval of all members of the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association (MSMA). Early in the 2020 MotoGP season, Yamaha faced reliability issues with the YZR-M1’s engines which needed replacement valves of a new design, according to sources in the paddock.

For MotoGP, a control engine is scrutinised and sealed at the beginning of the season and race engines, of which each team is allowed to use a limited number, are then compared to the control engine during the racing season for technical compliance. In this instance, the procedure for notification of technical changes was not complied with by Yamaha Motor, resulting in the sanctions handed to the teams.

The post 2020 MotoGP: Petronas Yamaha SRT penalised by FIM appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

from Paul Tan's Automotive News
Read The Rest:paultan...