Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez’s race-ending crash at Spanish Grand Prix prompted vast numbers of fans to leave, according to two journalists who were on the scene at Jerez.
Marquez didn’t even make it to the end of the second lap before he crashed out at turn 11. He had lost the lead to his brother Alex moments earlier.
It’s the second year in a row that the factory Ducati rider has crashed, though in 2025 he was able to continue and battle back into the points.
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Marc Marquez’s crash led to ‘deathly silence’ in Jerez grandstands
Speaking on Hospitality Motociclismo, journalist Borja Gonzalez revealed that many supporters decided to head home when Marquez retired. Most of the crowd were there to cheer on the seven-time MotoGP champion.
Alex went on to win the race in dominant fashion ahead of Marco Bezzecchi, repeating his 2025 triumph. The emotional Gresini rider celebrated with the spectators before pulling into parc ferme.
Gonzalez’s colleague Mela Chercoles added that the grandstands were audibly ‘deflated’ when Marc went down, even though one of their own was still leading.
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Television audiences also plummeted after his crash
“I feel a bit sorry that, when Marc fell, we had to see so many people get up and leave the circuit,” said Gonzalez. “It’s true that it wasn’t a great race, but at that moment we couldn’t know how the race was going to be.
“It was the first race in Europe, the first race in Spain. A Spanish rider won, who also won last year. He’s a very popular rider, Alex Marquez, and it’s little sad for me to see it.”
Chercoles said: “At the moment of the crash, there was a feeling of total deflation. There was a deathly silence in the stands. Only the sound of motorcycles could be heard for a moment.”
Spanish Grand Prix TV audience plummets after Marc Marquez DNF
The Spanish GP was broadcast on free-to-air television by local channel Telecinco. At the start of the race, they topped the national ratings.
However, after Marquez’s crash, they fell down to fifth place, according to Motorpasion Moto.
While the television audience for Saturday’s Sprint race doubled compared to last year’s event, the race-day figures fell by around 200,000.
Spain is arguably the home of MotoGP, hosting four out of 22 races, but there’s a danger that Marquez’s eventual retirement, or a lasting decline in his results, will see the popularity of the sport in the region fade.
Pedro Acosta, one of eight other Spanish riders on the grid, appears to be a superstar in the making, but he hasn’t yet come close to Marquez’s level of fame.
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