With six laps to go in the MotoGP Aragon GP, Álex Márquez was forced to retire from the race while fighting for a podium position. An overtaking attempt by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) ended in a collision, in an incident where the blame is unclear.
Right away, the Spaniard explained that he didn’t know who the rival was, nor did he see him: ‘We were pushing quite on the limit, we knew how was the grip, and I went a little bit wide at turn 12 – I would say two meters from the line. Later he was quite close to me, he decided to attack me on the outside. I didn’t see him, first of all. I want to be clear, I didn’t know that was him, because in my pit board we never put the name’.
Márquez then said: ‘Later, I was already on my right side of the bike, with my head and everything. I felt the contact there, I just tried to avoid the wall because it was quite close and our bikes were like attached for some reason. And that’s it. We finished the race there for both unfortunately’.
Asked if he would have made the turn if Bagnaia hadn’t been there, the #73 confirmed: ‘Yeah, or even slower, because I was coming a bit from the outside. Pecco decided to make that move from the outside, he was really brave and was really clear to make that. But he knew that I was there. So at least, to leave me one meter, no more. If someone could avoid the contact was him, because he knew that I was there. I didn’t see him in any moment. I was not expecting the contact. So we just finished there into the wall’.
In Bagnaia’s view, Márquez should have been more careful, but the Spaniard has a different opinion: ‘I could agree with him if I were coming back from outside the track, or if I were on the green. But I think I touched the kerb, so I was inside the track, so the one who is coming from behind needs to take care of that. And if you decide to make a move from the outside, at least you need to know that the other one will be on the inside, so you cannot close the line to the kerbs completely. I didn’t have the space. I could understand him if I were outside of the line, or something like this – like two meters from the kerb. But it wasn’t like this, so he closed the kerb too much there and I was there. So, nothing more’.
Despite mentioning that he didn’t know it was Bagnaia, Márquez clarified that he wouldn’t have done anything differently if he had known: ‘No, because I didn’t see him, so for me there was nothing to do. But I wanted to be clear, because people might say «You need to have more respect for the guys who are fighting for the championship» and all that. I didn’t know it was him, and later I didn’t see him, so I was not able to avoid that contact’.
For now, Márquez hasn’t spoken to Bagnaia about the incident yet, but he confirmed that he has already addressed Ducati and will also look for the rival in private to discuss the matter.