Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin and Fabio Quartararo have come to the defence of Marc Marquez in light of his controversial bike change that secured him the victory in MotoGP’s Spanish Grand Prix Sprint race.
MotoGP’s first-ever wet-weather Sprint race produced one of the most thrilling races in the format’s history, with Marc Marquez claiming victory despite falling off his bike in the middle of the race.
His resilience to get back on the bike and continue until the chequered flag was praised by everyone in attendance, but it also raised some questions due to the way in which he returned to the circuit.
Should Marc Marquez have received a penalty for cutting across the track to pit after crashing in the Jerez Sprint?
Amid increasing rainfall, the factory Ducati star cut across the grass on the exit of turn 13 in order to get back to the Bologna Bullets’ garages and change over to his bike that was already set up for wet-weather.
Interestingly, MotoGP chose not to punish Marquez for his actions, which caused a big debate across social media, as well as among those inside the premier class paddock.
- READ MORE: Marc Marquez told his Ducati engineers to ‘stop talking about fitness’ ahead of the Spanish GP
Jorge Martin and Fabio Quartararo defend Marc Marquez’s bike change in Spanish GP Sprint
During his post-Spanish GP Sprint race media duties, Jorge Martin was asked for his thoughts on the race that had just ensued. He began by detailing the problem he had with his front brakes, which forced him into an early retirement.
He said via Moto.it, “During the warm-up lap, I felt something was off at the front. At first, I thought I just needed to get a better feel for the bike.
“Then, during the race, I was going strong, but when braking for the first corner, I couldn’t stop and realised something was wrong, so I decided to pull over.
“One thing I’ve learnt from previous seasons is to stay calm in these situations, and now my focus is on how I can improve for tomorrow. I feel good, but there’s always room for improvement.”
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He was then asked about Marquez’s controversial route into the pit lane following his crash at turn 13. The Spaniard looked to have cut across the grass in order to change to his wet-weather bike, but managed to escape a penalty.
Martin said, “I think he did what he felt was right; I would have done the same, and it was amazing to fall and then win.”
The 2024 title-winner’s sentiments were backed up by Fabio Quartararo, who, according to MotoGP journalist Simon Patterson on X, said the same thing when questioned about it in the media pen.
In the Frenchman’s case, it was a much more encouraging result as he took the chequered flag in P7. However, it’s clear that he was rewarded for his quick thinking amid the uncertain conditions, rather than the pace of his Yamaha prototype.
- READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia issues verdict on Marc Marquez Jerez incident branded ‘harsh’ by Michael Laverty
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