Last Sunday's Argentinian Grand Prix will go down in history as one of MotoGP's most dramatic afternoons, and one of its most controversial. The bizarre start and the historical significance of the race winner have all been brushed under the carpet, as old wounds were torn open in a moment of sheer madness from Marc Marquez.
Had the race gotten underway when it was supposed to, we would have been praising a devastating performance from a dominant Marquez, while wondering what Andrea Dovizioso would be able to do in retaliation next time out in Texas.
However, a mass mistake by all bar pole man Jack Miller in picking the wet tyres forced an exodus to pitlane and a delayed start. Thus was set into motion a series of events which have reignited a feud we long thought had simmered.
A momentary lapse of reason
Stalling on the grid prior to the odd start – which saw second place positioned five rows back from Miller – Marquez sparked his RC213V back into life. Race officials were on hand to direct the Spaniard to the pitlane to take up the start, as per the rules. He did not heed this advice, and was subsequently handed a ride-through penalty – something which perplexed him greatly.
“At that time I didn't know what I needed to do. The bike [was] running and when arrive the marshal I asked him, because he is connected to Race Direction,” Marquez claimed post-race.
“I asked to him pitlane or grid, but at that time he didn't know what [was] going on, and then I saw another guy. This marshal just put his hands up and show me like this [thumbs up], and I understand [that as] I need to go on my grid place. Started the race, then arrived on the dashboard a ride through penalty, something I did not understand because if one marshal says your are allowed and then one marshal says you are not allowed, why you need to have a ride through?”
Marquez may think he was mislead, but his direction from one of the officials was clear, while it is a well-known rule that a staller on the grid must take up residence at the end of the pitlane should they have to jump off their bike – not ride the wrong direction down the pit straight to take up their grid slot.
Marquez was 19th when he rejoined at the start of lap eight, he scythed his way through the pack, spurred by anger and a speed greater than anyone else on the grid. A misjudged, albeit clumsy, collision with Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro at Turn 13 netted him a one-place penalty during the race. Marquez was four seconds faster than Espargaro at this point, so you can forgive him for not anticipating to close up on the Aprilia rider as suddenly as he did.
However, Turn 13 is well known as the sketchiest corner in those conditions – Marquez having several front end moments during practice on Friday. Mistake or not, he should have exercised more caution at a tricky corner at the best of times.
Set for a comfortable top five finish, a great effort in damage limitation given the earlier penalty, it all went unnecessarily awry at Turn 13 with four laps to go, when a needlessly ambitious lunge on Valentino Rossi sent the Yamaha rider onto the wet grass and onto the deck as he tried to rejoin.
A 30-second penalty was thrown Marquez's way, but the damage was done. Very much the victim in this incident, Rossi would not let his old adversary get away with this one.
Games without frontiers
“This is a very bad situation because he destroyed our sport because he don't have any respect for his rivals, never, because if you take for example what's happened this weekend, one by one can happen to everybody; you can make a mistake in braking, you can touch the other guy, this is racing.
“But, from Friday morning he make like this with Vinales, with Dovizioso, he make like this with me on Saturday morning and today in the race he go straight to four riders. He did it purposely and [it was] not a mistake.
“He destroyed our sport” – perfect hyperbole from the master of bold statements. This was no mere heat-of-the-moment comment from Rossi. This was calculated. When the Rossi/Marquez feud ignited in 2015 with the Italian's near-paranoid accusations of sabotage on Marquez's part during the Phillip Island race in the pre-race Malaysia press conference, it was hard to have any sympathy for Rossi when he was handed a grid penalty for the title-decider in Valencia.
Marquez retaliated in that infamous Sepang race, but Rossi took it too far. After last weekend's race, Rossi at least deserved some sympathy. After all, he did nothing wrong in this instance and paid for it.
This is something he was all too aware of, so with the world's media assembled around him he let rip with a statement bound to be plastered across papers and websites over the next 24 hours. With that comment, he also rallied his rabid fanbase – a group not exactly kind in their assessment of Marquez the last time, nor were they any less bitter after Argentina.
Rossi's comments were dangerous, however. Sport descends into a very murky place when accusations of deliberate contact get thrown around. The problem is, when they come from a series' biggest name, this acts as huge publicity – something Dorna thrive off of. Its draw turns from 'come and see our amazing racing,' to 'come and potentially see all hell break loose again.'
Regardless of who was at fault for the initial incident, neither rider came off well after Argentina. Rossi's comments were classless, while Marquez's failure to offer apology to the Italian in his debrief – instead saying he didn't think his move was “anything crazy” – was misguided. Perhaps riled up by the fact he wouldn't be granted an audience with Rossi immediately after the race in the Yamaha pit box, that doesn't make his later comments, or lack of, correct.
Let sleeping dogs lie
What happens next is a tough to call. Argentina will be the topic of discussion come Austin, and wrongly so. The last time this feud broke out, MotoGP became a darker place. Fan criticism bordered the violent, while the racing took a back seat as the media looked to create more drama out of thin air.
Marquez and Rossi weren't the only riders to come to blows in Argentina either, as Aleix Espargaro engaged in a heated online war of words with Pramac after Danilo Petrucci clattered into him during the race. Dani Pedrosa made no comment on the near-collision with Johann Zarco which knocked him out of the race and left him with a broken wrist, though the Spaniard claimed “every rider's safety needs to be looked at”.
We are lucky with MotoGP. Race Direction don't allow totally reckless riding, but they are lenient when it comes to close racing. A bit of rubbing is fine in their books, and was the accepted way of racing for most after last year's Phillip Island spectacular. “This is the game” was the comment from Rossi after that particular race. After Argentina, however, do we now face a situation where Race Direction tighten up what it deems the acceptable limits of racing in a bid to stop a repeat of the chaos that has developed after last weekend?
“If we disqualify a rider every time [something like Marquez and Rossi happens], we won't race anymore,” Agostini sensibly said. “This goes for everyone. What happened between Marquez and Rossi has happened to everyone, has happened to me, to Valentino Rossi and even happened again in that race when Zarco knocked out Pedrosa.
“I remember back when I raced, especially in England, where four would pass me as soon as I braked, left, right, there's always been this kind of fighting. But it's only right to have respect, and to not knock people down.”
Wherever your allegiances lie, the fact of the matter is: what happened at Turn 13 with four laps remaining was racing. That type of incident happens from time to time. It was clumsy and needless but not unique. Rossi hasn't exactly been squeaky clean in his time, yet we praise moments like Jerez 2005. Marquez certainly doesn't deserve any praise, but he certainly doesn't deserve to be vilified either for doing something every rider has done at some point in their career.
