Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez posted his worst Sprint race result of the season at the Indonesian Grand Prix on Saturday. Hampered by a long-lap penalty, he only managed seventh.
Marquez squeezed onto the third row in qualifying on a weekend where the Ducati factory team have been completely out of sorts. But he started well, climbing up to sixth place on the opening lap.
The world champion then tried to execute a move on the high-flying Yamaha of Alex Rins, but both riders went wide after contact. The stewards swiftly ruled that Marquez should serve a long-lap penalty.
He recovered back to P7, picking up three points. While Marquez crashed out on Saturday at Misano, he hadn’t previously crossed the finish line lower than second in a Sprint this year.
MotoGP fans think Marc Marquez’s Mandalika penalty wasn’t justified
Marquez’s penalty generated a backlash among MotoGP fans. It was labelled ‘ridiculous’ and ‘a joke’ on social media.
Another questioned whether the stewards had imposed too many restrictions on racing, writing that ‘it’s illegal to overtake in [race director] Simon Crafar’s MotoGP’.
It was also suggested that this kind of manoeuvre ‘happens every race start’ and goes unpunished. Fans often value consistency in officiating.
Other comments included ‘why is that a long lap penalty for Marc Marquez?’ and ‘personally think that the gap was there and that for a first lap incident that LLP was too harsh’.
Speaking to DAZN after the session, Marquez took responsibility for the incident, saying: First, I would like to apologise to Alex Rins. It was the first lap and we came in on that braking point, a bit where I said we had the problem, stopping the bike. We normally do it very well.
“I received the penalty message, long lap, I did it, I knew I’d made a mistake. Race Direction decides what your penalty is, you have to accept it.”
Neil Hodgson’s verdict on Marc Marquez penalty – ‘a tricky one, but it’s racing’
TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson was in two minds over the ruling. On one hand, he acknowledged that Marquez may have been ‘carrying too much speed’ into the corner.
Ultimately, though, he thinks it constituted firm but fair racing. Marquez had already lost ground on track as Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi seized the opportunity to get by.
Rins had qualified a season-best fourth but ended up finishing 13th, outside the points.
“Obviously, he’s up the inside, he’s carrying too much speed, he’s pushed him off the line. It’s a tricky one, isn’t it? He lost ground by it, but then he’s pushing him off the track. It’s racing, we like racing!”
Ducati have blamed Michelin’s rear-tyre casing for their unrecognisable performance at Mandalika. Francesco Bagnaia, who was the last classified rider in the Sprint, called it ‘dangerous’, while Marquez accepted it was a necessary measure.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
