Marquez crash “not red mist, it’s a rookie error - I’m slightly sympathetic”
The Repsol Honda rider caused injuries to himself and to Miguel Oliveira, ruling them both of the Argentina MotoGP. He also ruined Jorge Martin’s hopes, on lap three of the season-opening race at Portimao.
Marquez was hit by a double long lap penalty which must be served whenever he returns.
“It’s a bit of a rookie error,” analysed Laverty on the BT Sport broadcast.
“It’s not red mist. He knows he has to brake as late as possible just to stay in touch.
“It’s his riding style. He’s trying to make up for the deficit of his machine. So I’m slightly sympathetic to his plight.
“But, knowing how good he is, he shouldn’t make mistakes like that. A penalty is deserved.
“It was an error of judgement from Marc. When you bunch up into a hairpin, you have to be careful.”
Marquez was entering the 2023 season knowing he faced issues with the limitation of his Honda machine in his bid to win a seventh MotoGP title.
He apologised for causing the crash, and Honda team manager Alberto Puig insists it was “impossible” to avoid and was due to his front wheel locking.
Sylvain Guintoli told BT Sport: “You can tell Marc is over-riding that bike. He’s trying everything he can.
“He didn’t get a great start, which didn’t help. He tried to make it back without losing position.
“Contact like this? He was very, very much on the edge.
“The crash was coming because he’s having to over-ride the bike to stay with them. It’s a sign that he’s a fierce competitor, but also a sign that the Honda isn’t quite there yet.
“There were a lot of angry fans booing, and rightly so. It was a massive mistake. Not great.”
Criticism of Marquez has poured in from several MotoGP riders, not least Martin who gamely battled on but later crashed.
He reminded everyone that Marquez had also “destroyed” his race at Silverstone two years ago. Martin insisted Marquez’s quantity of offences warranted a harsher penalty than the double long lap penalty that he received, but ultimately will not serve because he’s injured anyway.
Aleix Espargaro wanted Marquez banned for at least one race.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
