MotoGP Aragon J3: Marc Marquez (Honda / Ab.) gives his full version of the incidents (Videos)

The least we can say is that the return to Marc Marquez at the Grand Prix of Aragon MotoGP after an absence of four months and six races did not go as hoped!

The eight-time world champion had impressed everyone with his speed and talent found in practice, but the Honda rider was at the center of spectacular incidents on the first lap, which forced him to retire. .

Qualified only 13th, in part for having devoted a free practice session to the development of the 2023 RC213V, the talented Spaniard made an exceptional start, approaching the first corner in 6th position, just ahead Fabio Quartararo 6th part. There, a loss of rear grip (tire not yet warm enough?) instinctively forced him to suddenly cut the throttle, a very unusual maneuver against which El Diablo couldn’t do anything and crashed into the Honda before spinning like a top on the ground, which could have been catastrophic.

But it takes more to stop Mark Marquez, so this one continued, unaware that a piece of the fairing of the world champion Yamaha had gotten stuck under the saddle of his own bike. Arrived at the exit of turn 8, the Catalan engaged his ride height device and, from there, things got complicated, culminating in the fall of Takaaki Nakagami in the middle of the motorcycles in front of miraculously avoiding it.

In front of the gathered journalists, Mark Marquez gave his view of the two incidents.

“In turn 3, it’s true that I lost the rear a bit and I cut the throttle. But it wasn’t very hot. The problem is that Fabio, I saw the image after, was very very close, because probably his intention was to try to pass me on this change of direction. I had a little heat because Enea and Aleix were a little outside and then I tried, I didn’t try to pass them but I was just on the right trajectory, and I got a little heat as we often have with a cold tire. It was a very unlucky racing incident because Fabio was super close, as is normal. It’s normal. »

“Then it all started. I came into turn 5 I felt something strange I said ‘what’s going on’ but then when I opened the throttle and entered turn 6 and 7, I felt good. And then at turn 7, Nakagami passed me on the inside and he widened. And then when I was inside, already a little ahead of him, and I committed the holeshot. As soon as I engaged the holeshot, I felt the rear wheel lock up. I checked the picture very carefully and you can see that a part is coming out. And then when I felt it get stuck, everything went crazy. The bike, when I had the rear lockout, went to the left side, and no engine torque. And after that incident, I retired, but I didn’t retire because of the Taka incident, but because of the Fabio incident. But both actions were very, very unlucky for everyone.
I mostly apologized and spoke to Taka’s team. I explained to them why, because if you see it from the outside, and if you don’t pay attention to the details, you see that I’m going straight to Taka, for no reason, because I was already in the lead. So why would I want to, in the middle of the straight line, go to the left side?
Later, I will try to speak with Fabio, who has gone to the medical center, but also with Taka. »

Mark Marquez therefore got right back into the center of the action, with apparently great bad luck, but the important thing is of course that no one was seriously injured.

MotoGP Aragon Grand Prix Qualifying 1 results:

Ranking credit: MotoGP.com