The start to the new ﷽MotoGP season has also seen a new era of stewarding begin, as ex-racer 𒐪and TV pundit Simon Crafar takes on the role as head FIM steward.

MotoGP stewarding has come in for a lot of flak🐻 in recent years under double 500cc world champion Freddie Spencer’s leꦡadership.

Consiste𓄧ncy of penalty calls was one of the biggest compla🐟ints, as was a lack of transparency.

Coming into 2025, Crafar has a tough task on his hands to rebuild faith in the stewarding proc🐷ess while also ensuring the FIM rulebook is followed.

But after tw🔯o rounds, the verdict on Crafar’s stewa꧟rding has been overwhelmingly positive.

“168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Marco Bezzecchi got an official warning, which seemsꦅ like a sensible move I think because he didn’t bring any other riders down,” Crash MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren began in the latest Crash MotoGP Podcast.

“He did affect 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Fabio Quartararo’s𝔍 race, but he didn’t destroy it because Quartararo i💧n the end got a couple of points.

“But in𓆉 the end, he did make contact with another rid🥂er, he did make a mistake.

“So, I think an official warning for a first offence [is good]. Presumably if there is a carbon🃏 copy incident then he would get a penalty next time,✃ which is fair enough.

“I thought it was interesting to see that. Where it becomes a harder call with these first ofꦜfences is when it’s a bigger incident, when other riders get brought down.

“So if you’re in another ♋team yo𒅌u’d say ‘it was my riders first offence, same as Bez, right?’

“So that’s when it becomes difficult in the future with these thin⛦gs, but there’s never any easy answer for first-corner incidents. Bez held his hands up, first offence so official warning, which I think is fair enough.”

It is understood that a more serious first offence would skip the warning process and go straight to a penalty while one o🍌f the aim🎃s of the new-look FIM Stewards panel is to protect riders from repeat offenders by ramping up the punishments.

In other words, everyone can make a mistake, but a ridꩲer can't keep making the same mistake. 

So in the case of creating a dangerous situation at the start or opening lap - which 𒈔is deemed worse than later in a race since riders are more closely packed - a warning or double long lap for a first offence would be followed by a double long lap for a second offence, then a ride-through penalty for a third offence, to punish those that keep putting other riders at risk by making the same error.

Crash Senior Journalist Lewis Duncan echoed McLaren’s thoughts, while noting one area🧸 Crafar’s stewarding could excel over his predecessor.

“Interesting on the first offen♓ce thing,” Dunca🔥n said.

“I think the stewarding for the most part to begin the Simon Crafar era as head steward has been pretty spot on🌃.

“I think, yes ok Fredd💖ie Spencer was an ex-racer, but I think Simon Crafar being a bit more recent o🔯f an ex-racer - let’s say - but someone who continues to ride bikes fairly in anger.

“He does all of his BMW laps [at race weekends], so he’s quite fresh, he understands what the circuits are like e💦very weekend.

“And being a TV pundit for all these years he understands th🌳e riders, he understan🧜ds the racing situation, he understands the development of the bikes.

“There does seem to be a much more bigger picture approach to stewarding now, which I think is good⛄. Let’s hope that continues.

“I t🙈hink tꩲhe first offence thing is an interesting one, but I guess the way to look at it is Bez ruined his own race, took himself out.

“Yes, he compromised Quartararo but that was a Turn 1 racing incide🏅nt. Had he wiped out Fabio and a couple of others, that would have been a first offence - but a more serious offence.

“And that seems to be the way they’re going. If you look at 💛the Morbidelli incident with Binder in the sprint was a clear-cut race incident and that’s what it was deemed.

“They were very proper when it came to givin⛎g [Franco] Morbidelli a penalty for getting in the way of [Pe🤪cco] Bagnaia in Thailand.

“[David] Munoz had a pretty stupid incident in Thailand and they gave 🔜him a pretty hard penalty to reflect that.

ไ“It does seem like the stewarding is assessing penalties in a much better way that there is an actual clear punishment there rather than something innocuous the rider can brush off.

“I don’t think anyone thought Crafar wouldn’t do a good job, but t🅘hey’ve had a lot of varied incidents and the call꧙s I think have been spot on.

“The thing I would🧜 hope with Crafar, which we didn’t get with Spencer, was coming out on camera and giving an explanation [of a penalty].

“But Crafa𝐆r being a TV guy, being co✤mfortable in front of cameras, hopefully when there is an incident like that he can come out and say ‘ok, here’s why it’s a penalty’.

“I think there’s a lot of really positive things coming out here and it’s been lo🦋ng-needed.”