Marc Marquez expressed that he received no “warning” prior to crashing out of the MotoGP British Grand Prix sprint at Silverstone with just over a lap remaining.
The Gresini rider had been in fourth position during the closing stages of Saturday’s race, overcoming a challenging qualifying session that placed him seventh on the starting grid.
However, on the penultimate lap, the Spaniard ran a bit wide, lost the front end, and fell onto the gravel at the side of the track.
Although he managed to get back on his injured GP23, the six-time champion had to return to the pits, clearly frustrated as he made his way into the garage.
Marquez decided to use the hard front tyre, known for its durability towards the end of races, but experienced a drop in tyre pressure after he fell behind the leaders.
Despite this late incident coming as a shock to him, he remarked, “I was really pleased with my race because my goal was to maintain that fifth position, and I achieved it,” excluding the crash of [Francesco] Bagnaia.
“I felt increasingly comfortable with the bike, but the situation was influenced by several factors. We opted for the hard front tyre for this race.”
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“It was really pushing the limits on the left side, especially in the last lap when I started to lose touch with the front group, causing the front tyre’s temperature to drop, making that left turn more critical.
“Using the hard tyre can mean lower grip initially, but less movement reduces warming.”
“At that moment, I barely grazed the white line while trying to regain control, and unexpectedly, I lost the front end – but that’s racing.”
“We are riding extremely fast, and as we see in every race, someone will make a mistake.”
Factory Ducati rider Enea Bastianini clinched his first win of 2024 in the Silverstone sprint, finishing ahead of Pramac’s Jorge Martin and polesitter Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia).
This result enabled Bastianini to close the gap to third-placed Marquez in the championship standings to just 11 points, while the Spaniard still trails leader Francesco Bagnaia by 56 points following Bagnaia’s own retirement during the race.
Marquez reiterated that he doesn’t view himself as a serious title contender, noting that Bastianini’s resurgence has made his path to the championship increasingly difficult.
“Of course, we have a chance as we’re within points, but I mentioned in Assen that we are not in a position to compete for the championship,” he remarked.
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“Since the French GP in Le Mans, we have been rescuing our Sundays at the last minute,” he noted, referring to his ability to salvage results after poor qualifying.
“In the end, you might save one, two, or three races, but eventually, there will be one where you can’t save it, and it will turn into a mistake.”
“Ultimately, there are three riders – Bagnaia, Martin, and Bastianini – particularly with Bastianini now coming on strong, and they are consistently quicker than us.”
“So we are in survival mode, trying not to drop too many points and aiming to stay competitive.”
