Marc Marquez attributed the accident in the MotoGP race at Portimao last week to Francesco Bagnaia, resulting in both riders failing to score any points. The incident occurred when they were vying for fifth place with only three laps remaining. Bagnaia retired from the race, while Marquez dropped to 16th position.
Marquez had gone wide in his attempt to pass Bagnaia, leading to contact as the reigning champion tried to cut back underneath the Gresini Ducati rider. “In my opinion, it was a mistake by Pecco,” Marquez expressed to The Race. “Not just 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 scored zero points.”
Marquez also shared his perspective on the incident, describing it as “risky.” Despite visiting the medical center for a check-up, he fortunately escaped any injuries. He also emphasized that it is up to the stewards to determine the limits of such incidents. “I told the stewards it’s a racing incident pushed to the very edge. But it’s their responsibility to define where that edge lies,” Marquez added.
However, Bagnaia had a different interpretation of the incident, stating that it was evident he would try to regain the position once he saw Marquez go wide. “When Marc overtook me, he went wide! When a rider ahead of you, with whom you’re battling, goes wide, what do you do? You try to overtake him again to gain more points,” Bagnaia explained. “From my perspective, it wasn’t risky.”
Bagnaia’s disappointing race in Portimao caused him to lose the championship lead to Jorge Martin, who secured his first victory of 2024 in dominant fashion.