Marc Marquez’s Indonesian GP Tragedy: Ducati Destroyed by Incorrect Fire Extinguishers

Marc Marquez's Ducati was "totally ruined" due to incorrect fire extinguishers

"The fire extinguishers available here are not the right type"

Marc Marquez reported that his Gresini Ducati MotoGP motorcycle was "totally wrecked" during the Indonesian Grand Prix because the marshals lacked the appropriate fire extinguishers.

The eight-time world champion started from 12th position on the grid and managed to join the fight for the top six positions during the first half of the race.

During the 12th lap, while holding the seventh position, Marquez experienced a catastrophic engine failure in his GP23. This forced him to stop at the edge of the track as his bike was engulfed in flames.

During a Sunday afternoon media session, which included Crash.net, he mentioned that the harm to his GP23 was exacerbated because the marshals lacked the appropriate fire extinguishers to manage the fire.

When questioned about the malfunction, Marquez explained, "Naturally, the bike made a loud noise and then the engine cut out."

"Upon noticing the white smoke, I quickly investigated and found that it was unfortunate. The fire extinguishers available were not suitable, and the bike was entirely ruined, including the brakes."

“It’s unfortunate for the team as it represents a significant expense for a privately funded team.

"However, it's crucial to use the appropriate or most advanced fire extinguishers; otherwise, you risk damaging the bike."

Marquez's failure to finish has put him 78 points behind Jorge Martin, the winner of the Indonesian Grand Prix, in the standings, effectively ending his chances of winning the title.

Although Marquez feels "sad" about this situation, he emphasized that he has already met all of his goals for 2024.

"Yes, naturally I'm feeling down today because of that," he commented regarding his dwindling chances for the title on Sunday.

"But it wasn’t that… I mentioned before that I had already achieved my goal. During the press conference at Misano or Aragon, I had stated what my next objective would be, which is to work on maintaining consistency throughout the race.

"I've been focusing on this approach in the recent races. Yes, we made an error today, but the goal is to achieve steady performance."

"The upcoming stage is the qualifying practice, and I will be intensely focused on it in the coming sessions. My aim is to consistently secure a position in the first two rows. This will be my primary goal."

Marquez was engaged in a fierce contest for seventh place with VR46 Ducati racer Fabio Di Giannantonio, which concluded with Di Giannantonio crashing.

The incident disrupted Marquez's race, as he believes he could have competed alongside Francesco Bagnaia for a spot on the podium.

"We were involved in a battle during the initial stage of the race, and being in that battle only caused us to lose time," he stated.

“I was able to maintain a good speed to stay right behind Pecco Bagnaia. I was aware that my goal was to secure either third, fourth, or fifth place, and I felt confident in my control while following him closely.”

"However, our tussle with DiGia began. He was slightly overstating the situation, and eventually, he lost control. This happened because he was using a soft rear tire and was exerting a lot of effort right from the start."

"However, this is the nature of racing; that's just how it goes."

"However, the key moment was when he crashed, which allowed me to regain my rhythm and begin to increase my speed once more. Even during the lap where I made an error, I was on track to achieve my best personal time. Unfortunately, things didn't go my way."

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