In the Motegi Sprint, Alex Márquez caused a crash involving Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio – he took responsibility for the mistake and accepted the penalty
Alex Márquez (Gresini-Ducati) caused a crash on the first lap of the Sprint at the Japanese Grand Prix. At Turn 3, the Spaniard collided with his compatriot Pedro Acosta (KTM). As a result, Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46-Ducati) was also dragged into the gravel trap.
Immediately before the crash, Acosta had settled into fifth place. Approaching Turn 3, Alex Marquez was on the inside alongside Di Giannantonio, but braked a little too late and consequently collided with the KTM.
“A bad day. Exactly the sort of day you’d prefer to put behind you quickly, but from which you also want to learn,” said the Gresini rider. “I made a mistake in Turn 3 whilst attempting to overtake on the first lap.”
“Unfortunately, I crashed and took two other riders out with me, which is what annoys me the most. That’s how it goes in racing sometimes, but it hurts when something like that happens. We have to carry on and learn from it.”
The race stewards, led by Simon Crafar, handed down a penalty to Alex Márquez. He must serve two long-lap penalties during the Grand Prix. The Spaniard is perfectly fine with this penalty.
“I’ve been handed a double long-lap penalty for tomorrow, and it’s absolutely justified,” said Alex Márquez. “Tomorrow we’ll try to give it our all. It’ll be a new day.”
Acosta regrets missed chance at the podium
In qualifying, Acosta secured third place on the front row. The fact that he was forced to retire after just three corners frustrates him, as he’d reckoned he had a chance of finishing on the podium.
” “The race was definitely short,” sighs Acosta, adding about the crash: “That’s just the way racing goes, but it’s true: for a bid to make the podium, the manoeuvre was quite early – perhaps a bit too early.”
“It hurts mainly because we had the chance to fight for the podium. Looking at Marc’s pace, a win might have been a bit too optimistic.”
“But be that as it may: it was a good day for a podium finish and a good opportunity to make up points on Bezzecchi. And within three corners, we lost it all.”
Di Giannantonio in pain
Di Giannantonio was also a victim of Marquez’s mistake; he hadn’t been on the podium since finishing third in the sprint at the Sachsenring in mid-July. “Well, I’ve felt better,” said the Italian after the crash.
“Diggia” was the one in the most pain out of the three riders: “I took a heavy blow here on my right side, to my ribs and my hip. Fortunately, the doctors have checked it out and everything seems to be fine.”
“That’s the main thing. But at first I was left lying in the gravel for a bit because I could barely breathe from the impact.” Fortunately, he didn’t sustain any injuries.
How did Di Giannantonio view the mistake made by Marquez, who was approaching Turn 3 right next to him? ‘I saw a rider coming up extremely aggressively, so I tried to open up the door a bit.’
‘I actually thought I’d saved it, but then I was completely taken out by that bloke. So that impact came quite unexpectedly. But I’m fine, and that’s the most important thing.’
The VR46 rider does not wish to comment on the two long-lap penalties: “I know that the race directors’ approach is to ensure the highest possible level of safety for us by applying a completely consistent line. So I trust them. If that’s what they decide, that’s perfectly fine by me.”