Marc Marquez attributed the accident in the MotoGP race in Portimão last week to Francesco Bagnaia, resulting in both riders not scoring points. The incident occurred as they were battling for fifth place with only three laps to go. Bagnaia retired from the race, while Marquez dropped to 16th position.
Marquez went off track in his attempt to overtake Bagnaia, resulting in contact when the reigning champion tried to come back underneath the Ducati Gresini rider. “In my opinion, it was a mistake from Pecco,” Marquez expressed to The Race. “Not only because of the incident itself – he tried to come back and, although it was overly optimistic, contact can happen. But it was a mistake because we were fighting for fifth or sixth place. Two more points for me, two less for him. He was struggling a lot with his tires, especially the rear one. So, with only three or four laps remaining, you know you’re going to lose the position. There’s no need to be so aggressive. But he made that decision, and the consequence is that both Ducatis didn’t score.”
Marquez also shared his perspective on the incident, describing it as “risky”. Despite visiting the medical center for a check-up, he fortunately did not suffer any injuries. He also emphasized that it is up to the stewards to determine the limits of such incidents. “I told the stewards that it’s a racing incident taken to the extreme. But it’s their responsibility to define where that limit is,” Marquez added.
However, Bagnaia had a different interpretation of the incident, stating that it was evident that he would try to regain the position as soon as he saw Marquez go off track. “When Marc overtook me, he went off track! When a rider in front of you, with whom you are fighting, goes off track, what do you do? You try to overtake him again to gain more points,” explained Bagnaia. “From my perspective, it was not risky.”
Bagnaia’s disappointing race in Portimão caused him to lose the championship lead to Jorge Martin, who secured his first victory in 2024 in a dominant fashion.
