Marc Marquez insists that he feels “really sorry” about the clash between he and Fabio Quartararo in the Aragon Grand Prix, but maintains that the crash was a racing incident.
The Honda rider made a scintillating start from 13th on the grid at Aragon to rocket up to sixth by taking the outside line at Turn 1, though his race would last just another few metres as he lost the rear of his RC213-V in the middle of Turn 4.
This forced him to roll out of the throttle, leaving a closely-following Quartararo nowhere to go but into Marquez’s rear wheel – causing the series leader to crash out on the spot, while Marquez also peeled into the pits at the end of the lap to retire after sustaining tyre damage.
Marquez expressed his disappointment that his moment had caused the clash between he and Quartararo, adding that he was “really sorry” that the Yamaha man was involved but that there was little other course of action he could take in the circumstances.
“Of course I’m disappointed about what happened but especially really sorry to Fabio (Quartararo) because he is fighting for the championship,” explained Marquez.
“It was completely a racing incident, I did a good start but then at Turn 3 I saw there was contact between Aleix (Espargaro) and Enea Bastianini so I was trying to get myself in position, but I had a small slide and Fabio was super close to me.
“I think his intention was to overtake in Turns 4 and 5, so he was completely unlucky and I’m very sorry to him, it’s horrible for him because he’s fighting for the title but I was in front and I didn’t want to have that moment but it is what it is.”
The primary cause for Marquez’s early exit was the fairing from Quartararo’s M1 getting lodged in his rear wheel, though the problem only properly reared its head when he engaged his Honda’s rear ride height device on the exit of Turn 7, which squished the tyre against the faring and caused it to lock.
This meant Marquez was robbed of any control, causing a secondary crash with LCR Honda racer Takaaki Nakagami, which saw the Japanese pilot go down just before Turn 8 – the six-time premier class champion again expressing his sympathies for Nakagami but affirming there was little he could do after his rear tyre unexpectedly locked.
“I was very sorry to Naka about the mechanical problem, it was a very dangerous crash,” added Marquez.
“Everything after was a consequence of this, I already felt something strange at Turn 5 but the problem really arrived at Turn 7.
“I’ve seen people say that I drove straight into Naka (Nakagami), but I was completely straight and if I could have I would have gone left (I would have) but the problem was as I exited Turn 7 I engaged the rear (height) device, Fabio’s fairing was inside my wheel and I immediately felt the rear tyre lock.
“Then when I was locking the bike went on the right side and started to increase in acceleration, so then I sat up and looked behind and I could see my tyre falling off.”
Never forget Malaysia Go 2015
Never forget Malaysian GP 2015