Marco Bezzecchi
Alex Marquez suffered a miserable weekend at Le Mans after crashing out of the race, but his accident was more serious than it seemed as he admitted he did not know where he was afterwards.
The Gresini rider came into the French Grand Prix after winning Ducati’s first race of 2026 at Jerez. However, Marquez did not trust his Jerez win, in that he did not feel the manufacturer had made a big improvement, and Le Mans seemed to prove that.
Marco Bezzecchi’s championship lead is down to just ONE point! Which Aprilia rider will score more points?
Qualifying in 10th, the Spaniard finished eighth in the Sprint before crashing out during Sunday’s race. He appeared to get stuck under his bike as he slid onto the gravel trap.
It capped off a tough weekend for the Marquez brothers, as Marc Marquez suffered a violent highside in the Sprint and was forced to withdraw from the French and Catalan GP. Alex Marquez’s crash on Sunday also appeared to be more serious.
Alex Marquez didn’t know where he was after Le Mans crash
The Gresini rider told DAZN after the race that he landed headfirst onto the ground in his crash. He appeared disoriented in the pen, and admitted that he lost his bearings after the accident.
He explained: “I hit the ground a bit like this, head first, and that was it. It’s those five seconds when you have to figure out where you are again, get your bearings, but nothing—it was a really silly crash.
“I slowed down a bit at turn three, and when I went into turn four I opened the throttle a little more and lost the front end when changing direction, which I wasn’t expecting.
“And so… I’m really annoyed because it’s a very stupid mistake.”
Who is going to win the Catalan Grand Prix?
Marquez sits eighth in the standings after the French GP, 73 points behind championship leader Marco Bezzecchi heading into the Catalan GP.
The Gresini rider won in Barcelona last year, fending off his brother Marc with a fine performance. However, Alex Marquez will be racing without his brother, and with a Ducati bike that is falling further behind Aprilia as the races go by.
Marquez did feel Pecco Bagnaia was on for a podium at Le Mans, suggesting that the GP26 does have some performance. But even then, they are still no match for Aprilia right now, giving the Borgo Panigale outfit a huge mountain to climb.
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