Joan Mir Furious After Clash with Alex Marquez in Japanese GP, Demands Apology for ‘Missile’ Incident

Furious Joan Mir insists on an apology from Alex Marquez – “this isn’t the first occurrence…”

Honda competitor disgruntled following an incident with Alex Marquez that concluded his race at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Joan Mir has expressed his frustration towards Alex Marquez, whom he nicknamed "missile," following a collision at the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix, stating that "you need to use your head a bit more when riding."

Starting from the 17th position, the Honda competitor was making an effort to catch up when Alex Marquez, who had begun the race from the 10th spot, crashed into the back of Mir's motorcycle at Turn 12 during the first lap, after veering off course at Turn 11 just moments earlier.

The event led to the elimination of both competitors from the race and came under scrutiny by the FIM officials, who concluded Marquez was responsible and imposed a long lap penalty on him, which he must fulfill during his next grand prix appearance.

This is set to be the Grand Prix of Australia.

During his debrief in Spanish on Sunday, Mir was quoted by es.motorsport.com discussing the incident: “At Turn 11, Alex overshot the mark, and then entering Turn 12, he collided with me from behind, almost recklessly, like he was a missile.

When cycling, it requires a bit more consideration. There's nothing stopping you from disrupting the races of others.

"I'm more upset over the outcome of the game than I am about sustaining an injury."

Before the officials announced their decision, Mir shared his thoughts with the press, expressing frustration not only at what he perceived to be a clear violation of the regulations by the Honda rider but also at the prolonged wait for a verdict.

"He jokingly suggested that the officials, known as the Race Direction, might be either catching some sleep or having a meal, ahead of the decision on Marquez's penalty being announced."

During that period, Mir expressed his dissatisfaction over the fact that Marquez had not yet offered an apology, pointing out, "this isn't the first instance of such an occurrence between him and me."

"I was on the path to recovery and making good progress until Alex chose to put a stop to my race."

"This cannot be classified as a mere racing incident. If you collide with a driver ahead of you without careful consideration, it goes beyond just a typical racing situation."

Alex Marquez has expressed that he has made an apology to Mir, but also felt aggrieved by the penalty he was given.

The Gresini team member expressed frustration over what they perceive as a lack of uniformity in decision-making by the officials, highlighting the incident where Jack Miller caused a collision involving several riders at Turn 3 during last week's Indonesian Grand Prix and did not receive a comparable sanction.

Miller took responsibility for the incident, although he didn't physically hit anyone: he lost control and fell within the group, causing his bike to slide into the surrounding riders, Marquez among them.

On that particular instance, the officials concluded that the event was a part of normal racing.

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