Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP fans are questioning the leniency of Marc Marquez’s long lap penalty for the 2026 United States Grand Prix, after crashing into Fabio Di Giannantonio in the Sprint.
Ducati racer Marquez crashed into Di Giannantonio of VR46 on the opening lap of the Sprint Race at COTA this Saturday. The incident took both riders out at Turn 12, although they both remounted and Marquez went on to take the chequered flag in P17 as the last rider running.
Di Giannantonio had earned pole for the United States GP earlier on Saturday, but he would ultimately retire from the Sprint Race on Lap 4 following the incident with Marquez. The FIM stewards opted to investigate the crash after the Sprint, which Aprilia star Jorge Martin won.
Martin won the COTA Sprint after overtaking Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati on the final lap, as the Spaniard scored his first victory as an Aprilia rider thanks to him taking the medium rear Michelin tyre instead of the soft. Pedro Acosta initially sealed third, but also drew a penalty.
Marc Marquez crashes into Fabio Di Giannantonio in the COTA Sprint! Does the Ducati rider deserve a penalty?
MotoGP fans think Marc Marquez deserved a double long lap penalty for crashing into Fabio Di Giannantonio
Shortly after slapping Marquez with a long lap penalty for Sunday’s United States GP for his crash with Di Giannantonio during the Sprint Race, the FIM stewards handed Acosta a tyre pressure penalty that denied him P3 in the COTA Sprint, with Enea Bastianini inheriting P3.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s five biggest MotoGP crashes
Many MotoGP fans feel the penalty that the stewards issued for Marquez crashing into Di Giannantonio in the COTA Sprint was too light, given it wrecked the VR46 rider’s race. The Ducati rider left it too late to brake for Turn 12, and wiped the Italian out after he crashed.
One MotoGP fan reacted on X to Marquez’s long lap penalty for the 2026 United States GP by asking: “Only one?!?! [It] should be a double [long lap penalty]!” Another fan also said: “[It] should be a double, an uncontrolled dive bomb!”
A MotoGP fan also noted: “MM93 has done these things so often – [it] should have been a double long lap [penalty].” The idea that Marquez deserved a double long lap penalty was widely shared among fans, with one adding: “It should be double long lap, but anyway…”
Another MotoGP fan even suggested the stewards’ verdict was a “miracle” for Marquez, as “one [long lap penalty] is not even close [to being] enough!” One fan even thinks Marquez can still finish in the top five “if he doesn’t rush things”, as the penalty is “not that harsh”.
Marc Marquez receives a long lap penalty for the United States GP after crashing into Fabio Di Giannantonio in the Sprint – Was it the right verdict?
Marquez is a COTA specialist, and will certainly still expect to fight at the front – even with a long lap penalty for Sunday’s United States GP that he must serve within three laps of being notified in the race. The Spaniard has a record seven wins at COTA, all in the MotoGP class.
Additionally, Pol Espargaro thinks Marquez’s knowledge of the medium tyres from practice at COTA this Friday will pay dividends in the United States GP. The forecast for this week in Austin, Texas shows hotter conditions for Sunday’s main event than seen during the Sprint.
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