Alex Marquez Blames Francesco Bagnaia for Aragon MotoGP Clash: ‘He Knew I Was There

Alex Marquez: Francesco Bagnaia "was aware of my presence" during the Aragon MotoGP incident

Alex Marquez: "In my opinion, he could have prevented the collision because he knew I was there."

Alex Marquez stated that he was unaware of Francesco Bagnaia's overtaking attempt until it was already happening during the Aragon MotoGP on Sunday.

The two riders had an intense battle for third position when Marquez went wide at Turn 12 with only five laps remaining.

Bagnaia, who had been closing in on the Gresini racer, managed to edge forward slightly as they exited the corner, just before their trajectories intersected at Turn 13's apex.

Marquez found himself too close on the inside, resulting in a collision with the rear of the factory bike, causing a severe crash that took both riders out of the race.

Alex Marquez explained in a press release from his sponsor, Estrella Galicia, that he had rejoined the racing line and was positioned on the inside. His head was already facing forward when he felt the impact and realized his bike was heading straight.

“I was powerless to act; all I could do was try to locate the wall as we were on a collision course with it.”

"Pecco might come after me, or I might go after him, but the outcome will stay the same."

"In my view, he had the chance to steer clear of that contact because he was aware of my presence. If he was really that quick, he could have passed me at a different time."

The FIM Stewards decided not to take any additional measures as they found that neither rider was primarily at fault for the incident.

In a more detailed conversation with MotoGP.com, Marquez commented, "I'm doing alright. I have some bruising on my left leg, but there are no fractures."

"I aimed to perform my best in the race and maintain a steady pace. Like everyone else, I made a few minor errors because the track was extremely slick."

"Later, I had an incident with Pecco. I drifted slightly off course at Turn 12, and when I rejoined – I wasn't completely off track, just near the line – I headed into Turn 13 and didn't anticipate him being there because he wasn't in my sight."

"I was riding on my side of the track when we made minor contact, which caused me to lose control and crash with him. I didn't notice anyone approaching. He sharply moved from the outside to the inside. That's how our race ended, and I feel sorry for both of us."

When questioned regarding the Stewards' decision, Marquez restated his opinion that Bagnaia ought to have provided more space: "I believe it's an incident that can occur in racing.

"Had anyone been able to spot my presence, it would have been him since he was positioned on the outside. When you're approaching from the outside, you can't completely shut off the path; you must allow at least a meter of space for the rider on the inside."

"It's a shift in course that we've witnessed repeatedly without any lasting impact. I'm upset because today's events can't be undone."

Due to the accident, current titleholder Bagnaia has fallen 23 points behind his championship competitor Jorge Martin, who secured second place on Sunday, behind Alex's brother and teammate, Marc Marquez.

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