Leopard Racing Wins Appeal, Adrian Fernandez’s Six-Race DSQ is Overturn

International Court of Appeal sets aside stewards’ decisions in shock ruling, with full reasons still to come

Leopard Racing has won its appeal at the FIM International Court of Appeal, which has overturned the six-race Moto3 disqualification handed to its rider Adrian Fernandez.

In June, the FIM stewards disqualified Fernandez, brother of two-time MotoGP race winner Raul Fernandez, from six of the first seven rounds of the 2026 season. The FIM’s technical director found that Leopard had opened the seals on two of his engines without authorisation. The ban wiped his results from the Thai, Brazilian, United States, Spanish, French and Catalan Grands Prix.

The decision cost the Spaniard 77 points, dropping him from third to 20th in the championship. Leopard denied tampering and appealed to the FIM Appeal Stewards at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but that appeal was rejected. The team then took the case to the International Court of Appeal.

The court has now ruled in Leopard’s favour. It declared the appeals by Leopard and Fernandez against the 5 June decisions admissible, upheld them, and set aside the two decisions by the FIM Appeals Commissioners. The relevant sporting authorities must now take the necessary steps to comply with the ruling.

The court said the detailed legal and technical grounds for overturning the decisions will only become clear once its reasoned judgment has been examined.

It is not yet clear how or when Fernandez’s results will be reinstated, or what the ruling means for the Moto3 standings.

Credit Photo : Leopard Racing