Marc Marquez thanks Pecco Bagnaia for calming Misano crowd boos on the podium
“I want to say thanks to Pecco... they showed me a video where he was trying to calm it a bit"
Marc Marquez has thanked Francesco Bagnaia for trying to ‘calm’ the booing heard from some Misano fans as the Spaniard celebrated his San Marino MotoGP victory.
Marquez has frequently been the target of booing at Italian rounds, a legacy of his past feud with local star Valentino Rossi.
But although he wasn’t aware of it at the time, runner-up and local hero Bagnaia gestured to the crowd to halt their booing.
Ahead of this weekend’s return event at the same circuit, Marquez said: “It’s always been there, but if you follow or support one rider, it’s not necessary to boo the others.
“I want to say thanks to Pecco. Because I didn't see it on the podium but they showed me a video where he was trying to calm it a bit. This is something the riders can stop, not other people or journalists.”
Reigning double MotoGP champion Bagnaia explained that he finds booing any rider to be disrespectful and has also been on the receiving end.
“Like, Franky [Morbidelli] said two or three weeks ago, ‘haters will always hate’,” Bagnaia said. “I think it's a good answer.
“It's really disrespectful because we are giving our maximum every time and it’s something that I don't understand.
“I read in some interview that it only happens in Italy, but it's not true because it happened to me also in Barcelona when I won.
“Honestly, when you have given your maximum, trying to be better and better and take the best result as possible. And the people in front of you are booing. I think it's a very disrespectful.
“But honestly, it's something that happens in all sports. It could be better if our sport could be more clean. But it's difficult to stop it, I think.”
Team-mate Enea Bastianini, who completed the podium alongside Marquez and Bagnaia, agreed:
“It’s not beautiful to listen to this on the podium and I hope for the future it will be a bit different. Respect for me is really important, for all the riders.”
Title leader Jorge Martin also feels some fans should remember that the riders are risking their lives.
“We are giving our 100%. We are gambling with our life. So I think there should be a bit more respect and this booing makes no sense.”
