Marc Márquez and Francesco Bagnaia were fighting for fifth place in the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix when, three laps from the end, they collided and crashed. Márquez managed to continue in the race and finished 16th, while Bagnaia retired.
This was their first disagreement since Márquez joined Gresini, in the second race of the season – and without an important result at stake in the top positions.
The riders had to appear before the race stewards after the race, a situation that ended up being considered a racing incident – even from the perspective of the riders, although Márquez argues that Bagnaia did not have the best approach.
In any case, the accident is now in the past. This was confirmed by Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi, who stated in an interview with the publication MotoSprint:
– Without a doubt it was a racing incident. Of course, in certain situations it would be better to be more calm, but both drivers explained themselves, so I think it’s something resolved and closed with a handshake.
What is certain is that there was a precedent in which it was seen that, even in the fight for secondary positions, Bagnaia and Márquez do not seem very willing to give in direct fight between them when they can achieve a better result. Something that fuels curiosity to see how the duels will be when podiums or victories are at stake.
