Sensational Turnaround: Adrian Fernandez Has Heavy Moto3 Penalty Overturned

Leopard Racing have secured a dramatic legal victory after the FIM International Appeal Court overturned the disqualification of Adrian Fernandez from the opening six rounds of the Moto3 season.

Back in June, FIM Stewards handed down a severe penalty to Adrian Fernandez—brother of two-time MotoGP race winner Raul Fernandez. Under the initial ruling, the Spaniard was disqualified from six of the opening seven rounds of the 2026 campaign.

The sanction was triggered by findings from the FIM Technical Directorate, which alleged that Leopard Racing had broken the regulatory seals on two of his engines. As a result, Fernandez was stripped of his points finishes in Thailand, Brazil, the United States, Spain, France, and Catalunya. Leopard Racing immediately appealed the verdict to the FIM International Appeal Court, which has now sensationally ruled in the team's favour.

The FIM Technical Commission has a four-week window to lodge an appeal and refer the matter back to court, though it remains unclear whether they will proceed with further action. If the ruling stands, it will raise serious questions regarding scrutineering procedures across the paddock and the initial justification behind such a severe sanction.

Before the disqualification was imposed, Fernandez was sitting comfortably in third place in the world championship. Stripping him of the six race results cost him 77 points and sent him tumbling down to 14th in the standings. Following the tribunal's reversal, the standings will be recalculated, propelling Fernandez back up to fifth place on 148 points, just ahead of Marco Morelli on 146.