Marquez 'My mistake', Martin 'He destroyed my race'

Marc Marquez held his hands up and apologised to Jorge Martin after taking the Pramac Ducati rookie out during a clumsy pass on the opening lap of Sunday's British MotoGP at Silverstone.

The pair, who have each won a race this season, lined-up on the second row of the grid but the Repsol Honda rider got the better start and was holding fifth as the leaders fanned out in the braking zone for Stowe Corner, at the end of Hangar Straight.

Martin then surprised Marquez by diving for a late gap on the inside when the Honda ran slightly wide, the hard-but-fair racing move resulting in contact that bumped the #93.

When Martin himself ran wide on entry to the following Vale chicane, Marquez - perhaps angry at the earlier nudge - decided to slice back under his fellow Spaniard on the exit.

But the pair collided, sending them both down and out of the race.

"I want to apologise to Martin and his team because it was completely my fault. I was too optimistic on that overtake," said Marquez, whose Silverstone weekend began with a huge 270km/h Friday practice fall.

"It’s true it was strange situation because Quartararo and Martin went very wide and I expected Martin to be more out.

"I prepared the corner and put the bike straight because I didn’t have time to change to third gear, the calculation was not the correct one. It was completely my mistake. It was the first lap. I was too optimistic and I apologise to Martin.

"Races are sometimes like this and today I made a mistake."

Martin, who has made just eight MotoGP starts, said he hoped the eight-time world champion 'can learn from this and improve for the future'.

"Well, you can see the videos yourself. A bit disappointed about today, because I felt super strong for a podium," he said. "I was really on the inside and I felt this contact and… whatever. It's racing. Onto the next one."

Martin added: "At the end, he came to say sorry, this is really good from his side, but at the end, he destroyed my race, and this is the main problem. He can destroy his own race, but not the others.

"And for sure he didn't measure in a good way, because he thought there was space and for sure there wasn't. But I hope he can learn from this one and improve for the future."

Martin stopped short of calling for a penalty to be applied, but asked: "I don't know why he picked the bike up again [as he tried to pass]. Because he could make the move, he was already on the inside. But I don't know why he went wide and then pushed me out.

"This is what I don't understand really. But a penalty is not my business."