The old system came under criticism following the controversy that erupted as a result of the penalty imposed on Valentino Rossi for the 2015 finale at Valencia.

The Yamaha rider was handed three penalty points for his infamous clash with Honda rival Marc Marquez at the Malaysian Grand Prix, meaning he accumulated four points and was forced the start from the back of the grid at Valencia.

Rossi went on to lose the title to teammate Jorge Lorenzo after finishing fourth in the race.

For this year, however, the system has been tweaked, and riders will only be penalised once they reach 10 penalty points.

Once a rider reaches that amount, he or she will be automatically given a race ban.

"The interim penalties previously triggered after accumulating four or seven points, no longer apply," said an FIM statement.

"Penalty Points will continue to be recorded against the record of the rider for 365 days. However, when a rider has accumulated 10 or more points and suffered a disqualification, 10 points are removed from his record."