Fabio Quartararo has received an unusual penalty after he crashed during the French Grand Prix at Le Mans on Sunday. This penalty will affect him at the upcoming British Grand Prix.

The weekend had started well for Quartararo. On Saturday, he surprised his home fans by getting pole position in back-to-back qualifying sessions. Yet in the sprint, he managed to lead for five laps, but he finished 4th.

On Sunday, however, the race took place in changing weather. After the warm-up lap, several riders, including Quartararo, switched from wet to dry bikes. Because of this new rule, this move gave him a double long-lap penalty.

And despite the penalty, Quartararo took an early lead and completed both long laps quickly. He looked like he could still finish in a strong position. But on lap four, as the rain became heavier, he crashed at the final corner and could not return to the pits to change bikes.

After the crash, Quartararo was seen arguing with race marshals. He ignored their instructions and walked back to the paddock. The race officials later said that his actions were unsafe and disrespectful. As a result, Quartararo will miss the first 10 minutes of the first practice session (FP1) at the British Grand Prix and he also must pay a €2000 fine.

This penalty comes at a tough time for Yamaha, as the team has just introduced a new engine at the French Grand Prix, which slightly improved their bike's speed. They were hoping to test this engine further at Silverstone, a track where speed is very important. But Yamaha is also testing at Misano this week, so any progress at the testing could help Quartararo at the British GP.

However, this is not the first time Quartararo has gone to Silverstone with a penalty. In 2022, he had to serve a long-lap penalty after a crash with Aleix Espargaro in the Dutch GP.

And speaking to TNT Sports before his meeting with stewards, Quartararo said: “The conditions were very tricky. I gave it my best, but I crashed in the last corner. I didn’t expect it, but many riders crashed there too. That’s just how it went.”