Marquez Does Not Accept Blame for Bezzecchi Crash in Qatar MotoGP Sprint

A collision occurred in Saturday's sprint race at the Qatar round of the MotoGP motorcycle racing championship between Spain's Marc Marquez of the Ducati team and Italy's Marco Bezzecchi of the Aprilia team. Bezzecchi crashed out, while Marquez kept going and went on to win. After the finish, the two riders gave differing accounts of the incident, which sets the mood ahead of Sunday's main race.

The contact took place at the first corner of the fourth lap, as both fought for the lead. Bezzecchi fell, while Marquez's airbag deployed, yet he stayed on the bike. The stewards classed it as a racing incident and handed no penalty to the MotoGP overall standings leader.

Marquez's explanation

Marquez thinks Bezzecchi's move up the inside of the corner was based on a misjudged speed advantage. He said helicopter camera footage shows he took the corner the same way on that lap and on the following ones. According to him, he always enters slightly wider and then tries to close the line. Marquez also recalled a similar situation at last year's Indonesian round.

Bezzecchi's view

Bezzecchi, who wanted to avoid unnecessary disputes, disagreed with the comparison and said it was a completely different situation. He added that he respects what Marquez says. The Italian said he tried to hold his line, was on the inside, and a second later was on the ground. He does not feel angry, as it would only waste energy, and wants to stay focused on Sunday's race.

Marquez admitted he does not know whether the collision affected his riding: he felt the contact and the airbag deploying, but was super-focused. He also named Bezzecchi as the main contender for Sunday's win, saying the Italian is faster than everyone.