The incident between Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez was one of the big talking points on Sunday in Aragon. The controversy only died down today, when the reigning world champion publicly apologized to the Gresini rider for the harsh words he used against him after the race. The discussion was shelved, but only after hearing the opinion of Marc Marquez, who on Sunday found success after a 1043-day fast and had not had the opportunity to comment on the incident until today, when the paddock reconvened for the San Marino Grand Prix.
On Thursday in Misano, the eight-time world champion had his say not only on the accident, but on Bagnaia’s words, defending his brother and his moral integrity: “For me, it was necessary and understandable to clarify what happened on Sunday. I found myself in this situation, it’s very difficult to know that you lost championship points. You’re very tense and you go and talk to the journalists: many times you say things in the heat of the moment that you then rectify”.
“Then everyone has their own opinion and that must be respected. But the words used must be correct because you never know what will happen the next day. Alex was indignant, because if they accuse you of having knocked down a rider on purpose you don’t accept it. We all know what we play on the track, he was angry about this. He has never been a problematic rider, people read the surname Marquez and mix everything up, but I am me and he is him. It doesn’t seem right to me that he is accused,” said Marc, who does not accept the idea that the two brothers can be considered as a single entity.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, crash with Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
No one was sparing in commenting on last Sunday’s episode, but the most ferocious were the so-called “keyboard lions”, who lashed out against Alex Marquez: “For me, those who insult you on social media are often the same ones who meet you and ask for a photo… And I have verified this. For me, everyone is brave behind a screen, but we are mature enough to understand it. Things that have nothing to do with each other are mixed up. My brother was inside, he didn’t see him because otherwise he would never have tried to contact him. Pecco was optimistic, thinking he had already overtaken him”.
Will what happened in Aragon affect the relationship between Marc and Bagnaia, who will share the box next year? According to the rider from Cervera, it won’t be like that: “Inside the box, the atmosphere must be good and the rivalry must be healthy. This increases the level of competitiveness. Then on the track everyone goes for their own interests, but in the box we will be a team that will work to have an increasingly competitive bike so that if one doesn’t win, the other will win”.
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Before looking ahead to 2025, Marquez is thinking about finishing this season in great shape, in which he returned to winning after almost two years. With Sunday’s success, Marc is back in third place in the general standings, but he doesn’t yet see himself ready to threaten the two title contenders: “I said it before Aragon: I am convinced that if it isn’t this year, the victory will come next year. I saw that I was getting closer and closer, if one thing didn’t happen, another would. But the goal is another, it is to continue to grow”.
“Did we win? Yes, now we have to find consistency to prepare well for next year, which is the difference between fighting for the world championship or not. One weekend doesn’t change the trend of a year. It can influence the attitude, it can help you and give you more confidence, but the trend is that there are riders who are faster. If I can finish at -100 points it’s better than finishing at -50. For the world championship, I didn’t see myself fighting in Aragon and I don’t see myself here,” concluded Marquez.
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