Why the summons of Bagnaia and Márquez to the commissioners was well received

In life, three things were certain until the end of 2024: death, taxes, and complaints against Freddie Spencer, director of the college of commissioners of the MotoGPThe three-time American world champion was indeed not very popular with modern drivers, who were quick to make this clear. When Simon Crafar was announced as his successor, expectations were very high. After half a season, it's clear that the New Zealander is a much more popular figure than his predecessor.

The latest example was at Mugello. While the two factory Ducati riders were engaged in an epic duel, later joined by Álex Márquez and his satellite machine, Bagnaia touched Márquez's rear wheel on the third lap of the race. No harm done to either rider, the Spaniard won the Grand Prix, while the Italian finished fourth. This didn't stop Simon Crafar from summoning the two teammates to race control.

 

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A decision that many observers did not understand, including at the circuit, as can be seen in a video broadcast on the official MotoGP website, behind the scenes with the two Ducati riders. But after the meeting, Marc Márquez had only positive things to say about the new head of the college of stewards.

"Simon Crafar does things really well", explained the championship leader to Sky Sport Italia. "He constantly wants to talk to the drivers and get all their opinions. It's not like in the past, where when you were summoned, you found yourself with someone who explained everything you did wrong. Here, they want to understand what happened."

A dialogue-based approach that had already been noted several times since the start of the season. This also leads to more consistency in the stewards' decisions, and in turn, MotoGP riders are publicly expressing their increased trust in the governing bodies. This is the complete opposite of the situation that reached a breaking point in 2024, when Johann Zarco notably told Spencer during a meeting: " "Anyway, I don't like you. You do your job, but you always do it badly." Atmosphere ...

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