Mugello MotoGP: 'Sorry' Marquez crestfallen after late DNF
Marc Marquez says he doesn't 'fully understand' why he crashed out of second place in the Italian Grand Prix with just three laps to go, but has vowed to learn from his mistakes.
On a weekend that had seen him crash three times in the lead up to race day, most notably in FP2 when a high-speed accident left him with an injured shoulder and damaged chin, Marquez would put his troubles behind him once the race was underway, quickly manoeuvring himself into third place.
Shadowing his team-mate Dani Pedrosa for much of the race, Marquez slipped through with five laps remaining to put himself on course for a second place finish that would have put him just two points shy of the overall lead in the standings.
However, with less than three laps remaining, Marquez would slide out of contention with a fall at turn seven, a curious tumble that left the youngster scratching his head.
"Today we finished with our first DNF of the season, but after three difficult days of setbacks and hard work, I finally felt good during the race. I don't fully understand why I crashed, as I lost both the front and the back at the same time and was unable to save it.
"It's clear that we made a mistake, but we can't go looking for excuses. We've looked at the telemetry and it shows that I was going at the same speed and on the same line as before but, anyway, you learn from these mistakes."
Indeed, Marquez even went as far as to apologise to Honda for the crash, implying that errors in his rookie MotoGP season are inevitable.
"We can't forget that this is my first year in the class and I am here to learn how things are in MotoGP. In spite of everything we were still fighting for second place, which is a reason to be happy.
"I want to apologise to Honda and to the team, as they always support me and work so hard. Now we are turning our focus to Montmelo, and I can't wait to race there."
Marquez's DNF leaves him 26 points adrift off series leader Pedrosa in the overall standings.
