Enea Bastianini Fights Hungary Clash Penalty

Enea Bastianini was given a long lap penalty for a collision at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which he believes was too much. The Italian MotoGP rider was battling for fifth with Honda's Luca Marini when he made contact with his teammate, Joan Mir.

What happened?

Enea Bastianini ran wide at Turn 1 trying to pass Marini and cut back across to the racing line for Turn 2 when he hit the side of Mir's Honda. He was given a long lap penalty for this incident, which he feels was too harsh because Joan didn't crash and he was in front of him. The penalty affected his race, and he eventually finished in ninth place after a last-corner overtake on KTM stablemate Brad Binder.

Why it matters for Enea Bastianini

Bastianini took aim at what he feels has been stricter stewarding in 2026, stating that the penalty was too much and probably a drop one position would have been a better penalty. He also received a second long lap penalty for shortcutting a chicane and not ceding the required one-second to avoid gaining an advantage.

What comes next?

Enea Bastianini will look to bounce back from this disappointing result in the next MotoGP race, hoping to avoid similar incidents and penalties. He finished the Hungarian GP in ninth place, with a final lap time of 41:44.669, on Sunday, as reported on the official MotoGP website. And he is already focusing on the next challenge, trying to improve his performance and avoid mistakes. But the Italian rider is confident in his abilities and is ready to fight for better results in the upcoming races. So he will try to learn from this experience and come back stronger in the next event. The 2026 MotoGP season has been marked by stricter stewarding, with several riders receiving penalties for various incidents. Enea Bastianini's penalty was one of the most notable ones, and it sparked a debate about the consistency of the stewards' decisions. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how the riders adapt to the new regulations and how the stewards continue to enforce them. Enea Bastianini's performance in the next races will be crucial in determining his position in the championship standings. He will need to be careful and avoid mistakes to achieve his goals and compete with the top riders. The Italian rider has shown his potential in the past, and he is capable of achieving great results. But he needs to be consistent and avoid penalties to succeed in the competitive world of MotoGP. The next race will be a challenge for Enea Bastianini, but he is ready to face it and fight for a better result.