Bagnaia furious, Marquez defiant – Row over ‘very harmful’ MotoGP conflict

MotoGP world champion Pecco Bagnaia tore into Alex Marquez within the aftermath of their race-ending collision within the Aragon Grand Prix, accusing Marquez of driving “very dangerously” and “deciding to not let me end the race”.

A Flip 12 error from Marquez whereas attempting to hold on for third place in opposition to Bagnaia ended up placing them on a collision course at Flip 13 after the change of course – with the 2 Ducatis getting intertwined and Bagnaia getting squeezed beneath the bike as they slid in direction of the gravel.

Bagnaia, who leaves Aragon 23 factors down on essential title rival Jorge Martin, mentioned that he was “not feeling very effectively” within the aftermath. “My neck is hurting quite a bit. Not excellent,” he mentioned – however he added the ache was “simply muscular” and that he was fortunate to have prevented any fractures.

Bagnaia unloads

However, harm and irritated, Bagnaia did not mince his phrases when speaking about his Gresini counterpart’s function within the incident.

“What makes me extra indignant is trying on the information,” he mentioned. “As a result of as quickly as I used to be coming into the nook, I used to be in entrance, leaving house as a result of I used to be realizing that he was there, however I used to be with far more velocity so I did not want to shut the road to be in entrance.

“And as quickly as I entered the nook, I heard his engine, his throttle opening. That is unhealthy.

“After which the issues which might be even worse is the very fact he remained with 40-60% throttle until he crashed. So… it’s totally harmful, to have somebody that does one thing like this.

“Since you attempt to keep away from usually contact. You do not need to have contact with anybody. And from the info, from what occurred, [it seems] somebody would not have the identical concept.”

Bagnaia hinted that he additionally felt Marquez was preventing a shedding battle as he’d “completed every little thing” when it comes to tyre life attempting to remain forward.

And in a later reply he described his exit from the race as “a rider deciding to not let me end”.

Marquez stands his floor

Marquez’s place was that of the 2 of them solely Bagnaia may’ve prevented the crash, as a result of Marquez had not even seen him method.

He described Bagnaia’s try as “actually courageous”, including: “However he knew I used to be there. So, not less than depart me one metre. No extra.

“If any person may have prevented the contact, it was him. I did not see him in any second. I used to be not anticipating the contact.”

He elaborated that Bagnaia closed the road “an excessive amount of” coming by way of the nook – and introduced up, for instance, his personal cautious method earlier within the race when Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta have been returning to the monitor up forward after going huge in battle on the ‘reverse Corkscrew’.

“I may’ve agreed with him if I used to be coming again off the monitor,” he mentioned of Bagnaia’s accusations.

“However… I touched the kerb, simply this. I am contained in the monitor. So the one behind must take care.”

No additional motion

Each riders confronted the stewards after the incident, albeit individually. Marquez mentioned Bagnaia was there ready to be known as in when he himself was heading out of the stewards’ room – and that he determined to not provoke a dialogue but as there have been cameras with the Italian, as a substitute hoping to clear the air in non-public later.

He additionally emphasised that – even when that will not have impacted the best way he approached the nook – he didn’t understand it was Bagnaia as a result of “in my pit board we by no means put the identify [of the rider behind]”.

“I need to be clear as a result of folks will say ‘eh, you must have extra respect for the blokes which might be enjoying for the championship’. I did not understand it was him.”

A stewards’ verdict adopted that dominated neither occasion was predominantly guilty for the incident, with the Freddie Spencer-led panel citing “the grip ranges off of the racing line” was a mitigating issue – in that they diminished “the riders’ capacity to have decisions to keep away from contact”.

Riders cut up

Lots of Bagnaia and Marquez’s MotoGP friends have been requested in regards to the incident within the aftermath, and there was no common settlement over who was guilty or what sanction would’ve been acceptable.

Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo felt Marquez “had somewhat little bit of fault” . “If you go huge like that in Flip 12… it was soiled [off-line] so you already know you’ll be able to’t actually flick in super-fast,” he mentioned. “He was somewhat bit too exterior [to come back like that].”

Trackhouse Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira was a bit extra agency in describing it as “Alex’s fault”.

“He provoked it. That is my approach of seeing it. He dedicated to the nook however he dedicated half a motorbike behind [Bagnaia]. He may’ve shut off the throttle but it surely occurred too fast.”

When requested whether or not there ought to be a sanction, Oliveira mentioned: “I took a penalty for a lot much less. [But] I am unable to be the jury. I am not race course. Solely my opinion, it is price fully zero.”

Jack Miller, present KTM rider and former team-mate of Bagnaia’s at Ducati, mentioned he disagreed with the evaluation of this crash as a racing incident.

“Appeared like one bloke was in entrance of the opposite bloke, and the opposite bloke rode behind him. Clearly, attempt not to surrender a place however the mistake had been made.”

However whereas Miller’s stance was that it was “avoidable” – clearly on Marquez’s aspect – he additionally acknowledged it is going to have been tough to evaluate it good within the second, likening it to Moto2 rider Fermin Aldeguer’s huge high-side earlier within the day by way of contact with Deniz Oncu.

One other crash from that very same Moto2 race got here up repeatedly – that of Joe Roberts, though his high-side occurred earlier than any contact may occur between himself and American Racing team-mate Marcos Ramirez.

“If Alex seemed the place is Pecco, if Pecco seemed the place is Alex, most likely this does not occur,” mentioned Joan Mir. “However it could possibly occur in racing. It virtually occurred to Roberts and Ramirez additionally in Moto2. It was a racing incident.”

And Johann Zarco likened it to Bagnaia’s collision with Maverick Vinales on the French Grand Prix final yr, whereas showing to recommend that it was as much as Bagnaia to again out.

“Within the second they go within the nook, Alex just isn’t far again, possibly nonetheless in entrance. Pecco is on a greater line but it surely’s not as a result of Pecco’s on a greater line that Alex has to say ‘OK, I decelerate and I await Pecco to do the nook’.

“So, I assume that Pecco ought to’ve considered a bit extra the place Alex is.”

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro supplied the same view, saying that Bagnaia could not have anticipated Marquez to only “disappear”.

The elder Marquez, who’s famously shut along with his present team-mate and brother Alex but in addition can be Bagnaia’s team-mate at Ducati subsequent yr, was diplomatic in his reply, describing it as “very unfortunate” and arguing that his brother “did not count on to have Pecco there”.

Amongst Bagnaia’s fellow VR46 Academy graduates, Luca Marini mentioned he would maintain his view of the crash to himself however made it clear he didn’t see Bagnaia as accountable – whereas Marco Bezzecchi laid the blame on Marquez.

“I feel it is clear, for everyone who’s ridden a motorbike not less than as soon as, that whenever you make a mistake and also you go huge, virtually exterior of the monitor, and you then come again, to start with you need to examine who’s coming.

“But additionally it is clear that when Pecco overtook him, earlier than going proper, it is inconceivable that Alex did not see him. Both he is blind, or he did not need to see him.”