The Americas GP race turned into chaos before it even began. In the final minutes before the start, confusion led to a controversial red flag, leaving many people puzzled. The aftermath was equally unclear. So, let’s take a deep look at what happened.

The confusion started when Marc Marquez suddenly abandoned his wet-weather bike, which was prepared on the grid, and ran to the pitlane to switch to his dry bike. Like a domino effect, this triggered a chain reaction. Seeing Marquez make the switch, nine other riders followed him, causing complete disorder in the pitlane. Not only riders but also their mechanics and team staff were running up and down in confusion, making the situation increasingly unsafe.

Race directors ultimately decided to stop everything and waved the red flag for safety reasons, a move that sparked controversy. Normally, riders who leave the grid in such circumstances must start from the pitlane and may also receive penalties. However, race officials decided to postpone the start, allowing everyone to restart from the grid without any penalties. After the race, race director Mike Webb explained to Autosport, “We requested a delay and then a quick restart procedure due to safety concerns. With so many riders and staff in the pitlane, it was impossible to start the warm-up lap safely.”

After the race, Marc Marquez admitted that he had anticipated this outcome. He intentionally left the grid, knowing that if more than ten riders did the same, the race would be aborted. However, the official rule states that penalties should be applied to those who leave the grid for weather-related reasons before the warm-up lap. But since the red flag reset everything, those who had left the grid escaped without any punishment. If penalties had been applied, the correct one would have been a ride-through during the race.

The decision not to penalize the riders frustrated those who had stayed on the grid with slick tyres, including Enea Bastianini, Brad Binder, and rookie Ai Ogura. They took a gamble on slick tyres, which would have given them a significant advantage if those who left the grid had been penalized. Trackhouse Racing’s team principal, Davide Brivio, expressed his frustration, saying to Autosport, “We took a risk, we made the right decision, and now it’s all gone. Why didn’t they let us start?”

On the other hand, riders like race winner Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez agreed that the rules need to be clearer for these situations. They acknowledged that while they benefited from the restart, it was unfair to those who had stayed on the grid. “It was chaos for everybody,” Alex Marquez said for MotoGP.com. “We need a clear rule for situations like this.” Bagnaia echoed this, adding for MotoGP.com, “I can understand why the riders who stayed on slicks are angry. The rules aren’t clear enough.”

Situations like this force race officials to revisit and clarify the rules to avoid similar problems in the future. But for now, the Americas GP will be remembered for its chaos—and for Francesco Bagnaia’s first win there.