MotoGP Court of Appeal yet to reach verdict on Ducati winglet

The MotoGP Court of Appeal is expected to deliver a verdict on Ducati’s controversial swingarm winglet next week, after a hearing in Geneva overnight.

Four of the five rival manufacturers protested the result of the Qatar MotoGP, which was won by Mission Winnow Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, due to the presence of a new winglet on the swingarm of the three GP19s in the field.

Three judges conducted the appeal hearing at the FIM’s headquarters in Switzerland, with Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that they will now meet among themselves to deliberate before making a decision.

MotoGP, which has promised that a verdict will be made before next weekend’s second round of the season in Argentina, has not yet issued a statement.

The initial protest, by all factory teams except that of Yamaha, was rejected by the Stewards Panel, prompting them to appeal the decision.

MotoGP technical director Danny Aldridge had approved the fairing, which ostensibly exists to cool the rear tyre, although Ducati’s rivals believe that it contravenes regulations regarding aerodynamic pieces which are not integrated in the bodywork.

The appeal also threatens the sixth placing of Dovizioso’s team-mate Danilo Petrucci and, theoretically, the result of Alma Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller, although the Australian was a DNF anyway.