The start of the 2025 MotoGP Americas Grand Prix descended into chaos due to rapidly changing weather conditions just before the race began. Rain fell about 30 minutes prior to lights out, leading all but three riders to choose wet tyres on the grid.
Moments before the warm-up lap, Marc Marquez made a bold move by leaving pole position and heading to the pitlane to switch to his dry-weather bike. His aim was to trigger a delayed start by influencing enough other riders to follow suit — which ultimately happened. Had the start gone ahead without the delay, Marquez would have been forced to serve a ride-through penalty for his action.
While this worked in Marquez’s favour, it caused frustration among those who had correctly gambled on slicks from the start. Trackhouse team boss Davide Brivio was particularly angry, as Ai Ogura was among the few who had taken the risk with dry tyres.
This situation raised questions about whether MotoGP’s starting rules need another overhaul. A similar incident in Argentina 2018 had previously prompted changes, but the recent confusion suggests further revisions might be necessary.
Senior journalist Lewis Duncan commented on the Crash MotoGP Podcast:
“There were understandably a lot of angry people. Ai Ogura, Bastianini, and Brad Binder all chose slicks, and Davide Brivio was furious. He felt his riders made the right gamble and were unfairly denied the chance to benefit from it.”
Duncan noted that even the current rules weren’t properly enforced: “There’s a rule that if 10 or more riders leave the grid, the start is delayed — but it doesn’t seem like that threshold was met. The stewards and the FIM really need to review this. You should only leave the grid if your bike is broken.”
He suggested a stricter approach: “If you’re on the wrong tyres, that’s your decision. You should take the start and deal with the consequences, like pitting after lap one. It’s tough, but that’s racing. This needs to be cleaned up.”
Podcast host Jordan Moreland added that the conditions were changing rapidly: “Even Pecco Bagnaia mentioned how Turn 1 looked dry while they were still on the grid. It was so fast-changing. You really feel for the three riders who got it right — similar to the Jack Miller case in 2018. They made the correct call but didn’t benefit.”
The controversy is expected to prompt serious discussion and likely changes to MotoGP’s race start procedures in the near future.
