Marc Marquez Reflects on Critical Mistake at San Marino Grand Prix
Marc Marquez, the factory Ducati rider, has admitted to making a significant error during what he described as the “easiest part” of the San Marino Grand Prix sprint. The incident occurred on the same lap when he took the lead, ultimately resulting in a crash that ended his streak of eight consecutive sprint victories.
Despite a challenging qualifying session where he missed out on the front row, Marquez quickly made his presence felt in the race. He overtook Fabio Quartararo at the start and then moved into second place by overtaking his brother, Alex Marquez, at Turn 2. For the majority of the race, he remained close behind polesitter Marco Bezzecchi.
However, the turning point came on lap five when Bezzecchi made a mistake at Turn 14. Seizing the opportunity, Marquez passed him at Turn 6 in the following lap. It seemed like another sprint victory was within reach, but just as things were looking promising, Marquez lost control of his Ducati at Turn 15, leading to his retirement from the race.
This crash marked the end of his winning streak, which had started in June at Aragon, and it was his first DNF (Did Not Finish) in any race since the Americas Grand Prix. Following the incident, Marquez provided an explanation for the crash, emphasizing that he was not riding beyond his limits.
“I was on the limit, but I wasn’t going over it,” he said. “I was riding well, and that’s why I attacked Bezzecchi because I saw that I had a better pace on that lap. I did the most difficult thing and made a mistake in the easiest part. I forced too much and went a bit wide at Turn 15. It was a typical Misano crash.”
Marquez has had an exceptional season so far, securing 10 grand prix wins and 14 sprint victories before the San Marino event. Known for his past tendency to crash frequently on the Honda, the Spaniard has significantly reduced his errors this year. His last fall in a sprint or grand prix occurred at the Spanish GP.
“Nobody is perfect,” he remarked. “I took a lot of risks during the sprint races this season, and it has been successful every time. One day, I was going to crash, and today was that day. Since Austria, a year ago, I haven’t made any mistakes in the sprints, so it can happen, and today was the day.”
He also pointed out that he might have overlooked the tire temperature, which was too hot due to the previous overtake on Bezzecchi. “Maybe I didn’t take care about the tyre temperature. It was still not correct. It was too hot, because just a few corners ago I overtook Beccechi.”
With his closest rival, Alex Marquez, finishing second in the sprint, Marc Marquez now has a chance to secure his seventh premier class title as early as the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of the month. Despite the setback, the older Marquez showed no signs of frustration during his media appearances after the race.
“I’m relaxed,” he said. “Still 170 points. People are always talking about, ‘when will you close the championship?’ I will try to close as soon as possible, but the most important thing is to take it.”
Marquez also dismissed concerns about a lapse in focus after taking the lead, as he has done multiple times this season. “Today I had the concentration in the correct way. Just the first mistake of the sprint race. It can happen, but today I’m very happy because the title will be for the Marquez family.”