Five Pilots Sanctioned in Barcelona, Mir Loses Second Place
- May 18, 2026 | 12:40
Five MotoGP pilots were sanctioned after the final of the Catalonia Grand Prix in Barcelona yesterday. The reasons for these sanctions were several investigations, primarily due to tire pressures below the allowed limits.
Joan Mir, the Honda factory rider, suffered the most significant penalty, receiving a 16-second sanction for low front tire pressure. As a result, he dropped from second place to 13th in the final standings. This loss marked Honda's first podium loss of the 2026 MotoGP season, and Mir only secured 3 points from Barcelona.
Other penalized riders include Alex Rins (Yamaha), Jak Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu from Pramac, and Raul Fernandez (Trakhauz). All four were outside the top 10 at the end of the race, now ranked from 14th to 17th. Post-sanctions, Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini) was ranked second, and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) third. Pecco Bagnaia moved up one position after the penalty to Ai Ogura (Trakhauz), who had overtaken Jorge Martin (Aprilia) in the last lap.
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Bagnaia was also investigated for low front tire pressure but was not sanctioned, as technical commissioners found issues with the springs. The many sanctions were a result of the race stoppages and restarts, which forced many pilots to opt for softer rear tires and their teams to adjust tire pressures due to the shorter race distance of 12 laps.
This is such a frustrating turn of events for Mir and Honda. After all that effort, a simple tire pressure issue costs them a podium. It's like the universe hates them. What's next? A flat tire at the start line?