MotoGP riders back proposed new penalty system after Qatar trial

Race direction held a special meeting with riders to explain the new system shortly before the start of running at the Losail circuit at 4pm local time on Saturday.

Riders were requested to try passing through a marked area on the asphalt run-off on the outside of the Turn 6 hairpin (pictured above), costing them time.

The system is intended to replace the current standard in-race punishment stewards are able to hand out, which is to drop one position.

Ducati rider Dovizioso did not test the new method but said the majority of riders were positive about the idea when it was presented to them.

Asked by Autosport about the new system, Dovizioso said: "We spoke in the Safety Commission, I think it's a really good idea.

"[It] looks like almost every rider [thinks] it's a good idea.

"It can be much better to manage [than] when you have to drop a position, it's more clear what you have to do, how much you lose - it is the same for everybody before the weekend.

"I don't know if it is easy to create this on every track, but I think it's a good idea.

"Unfortunately I didn't test, the only problem can be the dirt outside, for sure it is slippery.

"But when you have that penalty, it is because you make a mistake."

Rossi was among those to try out the longer route at Turn 6 and said he felt the new system is a fairer method of penalising riders than the existing one.

"It's a bit tricky but it's not impossible," said the Yamaha rider.

"They say you lose three seconds, I think [it's] a little bit more.

"For me it's more right than giving [back] one position, because sometimes you lose half a second but sometimes you lose five seconds.

"This loop is always the same [time loss]."