MotoGP: Yamaha penalised after breaching engine homologation rules

Yamaha has been docked 50 constructors’ points after being found guilty of breaching engine homologation rules at the opening MotoGP race of the year at Jerez.

It is said that Yamaha used an engine with valves which had not been submitted with the sample engine pre-season for homologation by the FIM. Furthermore, this change was made without an agreement by the manufacturers’ association.

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“Due to an internal oversight, Yamaha Motor Company failed to respect the protocol which requires them to obtain unanimous approval from MSMA for technical changes,” a statement from the FIM Stewards reads.

“For this reason, Yamaha Motor Company have had 50 World Championship Constructor points withdrawn. This is double the points earned whilst not respecting the protocol required for technical changes.”

The 50 point deduction is double the points earned whilst not respecting the protocol required for technical changes – Fabio Quartararo won the race in Jerez (scoring 25 points). 

The Monster Energy Yamaha team has also been docked 20 team points, with Petronas Yamaha losing 37 points. These are the points gained whilst ‘not respecting the protocol’. 

Yamaha now find themselves third in the constructors’ standings, with Ducati inheriting the lead ahead of Suzuki. Ducati hold an eight-point advantage over Suzuki, with Yamaha a further five points back. 

In the teams’ standings the factory team drop to fifth overall, with Petronas Yamaha remaining in second – 44 points behind Suzuki. The factory team are now a point behind Red Bull KTM. 

The only positive for Yamaha in this situation is that the riders involved have not been docked any points. This means that Quartararo remains just 14 points behind series leader Joan Mir, with Maverick Vinales (+19 points) and Franco Morbidelli (+25 points) still in the mix.