Marc Marquez reported that he received no “warning” prior to his crash during the MotoGP British Grand Prix sprint at Silverstone, occurring just over a lap from the finish.
The Gresini rider was holding fourth place in the latter part of Saturday’s shortened race, after overcoming a challenging qualifying session that had left him in seventh position on the starting grid.
However, in the second-to-last lap, Marquez drifted slightly wide, lost the front end, and went down, sliding into the gravel at the edge of the track.
While he managed to remount his damaged GP23, the six-time champion had to retreat to the pits, showing clear frustration as he parked the bike in the garage.
Marquez was among the few riders to choose the hard front tire, known for its durability later in the race, but it ultimately led to his downfall after he suffered a drop in tire pressure upon falling behind the leading trio.
Despite this, the late crash still came as a shock to him.
“I was really pleased with my race because my goal was to reach that fifth position and I was there,” he remarked, excluding the crash involving [Francesco] Bagnaia from his considerations.
“I felt increasingly confident with the bike, yet it was a mixture of factors. To be able to ride like I did, we opted for the hard front tire.
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“It was very close to the limit on the left side. Especially on the last lap when I started to lose significant ground to the front group, the front tire temperature began to drop, making that left corner more critical.
“With the hard tire, the grip is passable, but heat buildup is less effective due to the tire’s lack of movement.
“At that moment, I just grazed the white line while trying to recover, and without any warning, I lost the front end—but that’s racing.
“We’re all riding at incredible speeds, and as we’ve seen in every race, someone will inevitably make a mistake.”
Enea Bastianini of the Factory Ducati team clinched his first victory of 2024 in the Silverstone sprint, finishing ahead of Pramac’s Jorge Martin and polesitter Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia).
This outcome enabled Bastianini to narrow the gap to 11 points behind third-placed Marquez in the championship, although the Spaniard remains 56 points adrift of the leader, Francesco Bagnaia, who also retired from the race.
Marquez reiterated that he does not view himself as a serious title contender, acknowledging that Bastianini’s resurgence is creating additional challenges.
“Certainly, we have a chance since we’re earning points, but I’ve already stated since Assen that we’re not in a position to contend for the championship,” he mentioned.
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“Since the French GP at Le Mans, we’ve been salvaging our Sundays at the last minute,” he added, talking about clinching respectable finishes after poor qualifying results.
“In the end, you might save one, two, or three, but there will always be some that you won’t save, and it will lead to mistakes.”
“Ultimately, there are three riders—Bagnaia, Martin, and Bastianini—who are consistently outpacing us, and right now, Bastianini is particularly strong, which makes things harder for us.
“So we try to stay afloat, avoid losing too many points, and aim for a top position.”
