– The two serious accidents involving Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco at the MotoGP race in Barcelona shocked their fellow riders. Especially the crash of Alex Marquez left its mark, as the entire field rode through a debris field while the Spaniard lay motionless at the side of the track.
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“When something like this happens,” says Alex Rins, “the race takes a back seat for me. When I saw Alex lying on the ground, it broke my heart.”
“I was really shaken and tried to take deep breaths in the box because it’s not nice to see a teammate on the ground. In the end, we are all human, but it’s really hard, really difficult.”
The emergency crews were quickly with Alex Marquez to attend to him. Shortly after, race control reported that the Spaniard was conscious. A message that brought initial relief to everyone.
“For me, the top priority is that the rider is conscious,” Rins continues. “When the rider is conscious, my heart calms down again. It’s important for all riders to read this message.”
“That is really important. Not just for us, but also for the families.” Alex Marquez broke his right collarbone and was operated on Sunday evening. The C7 cervical vertebra is also fractured.
In the debris storm of his Ducati, some riders were hit by parts. Fabio Di Giannantonio, who later won the race, collided with the torn-off front tire and crashed.
The VR46 rider describes how he experienced the dramatic moments: “I arrived there and saw parts flying everywhere. Many parts already hit us on the straight after the heavy impact.”
“Honestly, I didn’t really react well. I tried to hide behind the fairing, and I was scared. When I then saw large, black parts flying around, I hid even more.”
“But that certainly wasn’t enough, and then I was hit by something. I was told it was a tire, but yes, as I said, I don’t really know how to react to such things. We were just incredibly lucky.”
“I should watch the footage again, but I think I could have moved a bit more to the left on the track,” says Di Giannantonio, admitting: “I was just scared and didn’t react at all.”
“It was a huge shock moment for me at that moment. I saw these big things coming at me and couldn’t react, I was somehow blocked.”
“That wasn’t the best reaction, but it’s always difficult. You’re in fourth gear, somewhere over 200 kilometers per hour, and you see something really bad coming at you without knowing what will happen next.”
During the crash, Di Giannantonio hurt his left hand and cooled it with an ice pack during the race interruption. He was not the only rider who had to race the two restarts with pain.
Raul Fernandez was also hit by debris from the Gresini Ducati. The Trackhouse-Aprilia rider also describes the dramatic moments: “I tried not to hit any rider.”
“I saw Alex crossing the entire track when he collided with Pedro. I tried not to hit Alex’s bike, and also thought about not hitting Pedro’s bike.”
“I tried to protect my body, but unfortunately I wasn’t very, very lucky.” Nevertheless, Raul Fernandez was able to participate in the restarts. Mentally, however, it was not an easy situation for the riders.
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How the riders dealt with the interruptions
Some riders question the decision to restart the race again after the second stoppage following Johann Zarco’s starting accident. Not only Pedro Acosta expressed criticism in this regard.
How could MotoGP better handle such situations in the future? “That’s a good question,” says Jorge Martin. “I really don’t know. I think the show definitely has to go on, as always.”
“But after three times, maybe it’s time to stop. It’s not in my hands, but three starts are, in my opinion, quite dangerous. You completely lose concentration.”
“I’m confident I can handle it, but there are other riders who can’t. I think at that point it’s quite dangerous to keep restarting.”
“Because how far can it go? Six, seven times? That’s something we need to think about. But the most important thing is that everyone is alive and we can continue doing what we love.”
How do other riders deal with the situation of a race interruption after a serious accident? Fabio Quartararo says: “The second time was difficult because … I don’t really look at the screen when something like that happens.”
“I try not to look, but when I went through turn 10 and saw Alex lying on the ground like that, you really didn’t want to restart the race.”
“I got goosebumps seeing it all – the parts, the tires flying through the air, the bike… So yes, it wasn’t easy, but it’s part of our job to get through it.”
Team support in the box very important
Team support is extremely important in such moments. Equally important, as Rins emphasized, is the message that the injured riders are conscious. Francesco Bagnaia agrees.
“Honestly, I just ask the team: Please tell me if Alex is conscious, if Alex is okay. Luckily, just before the start, the message came that Alex was conscious, and then you feel a bit better.”
“But the images were intense and the crash was very severe, so it’s difficult,” says Bagnaia. Marco Bezzecchi agrees: “Yes, it wasn’t easy. If I have to thank someone, it’s my team.”
“Because I think they managed the situation in the box very well. And they were able to create a feel-good zone for me despite the chaos. Of course, it wasn’t easy on my side, as always.”
“But I got as much support from them as I could, and I can’t thank them enough for that. Then luckily, the bike is a kind of feel-good zone for us riders.”
“It’s true that it was a severe crash. But in the end, they didn’t show the replay too often, because some time ago it was different. Now it’s better this way.”
At the next race weekend in Mugello, the accidents, the restarts, and the general handling of the situation will be a topic in the safety commission. The question of what can be learned from it will also be discussed.
“Maybe,” says Bagnaia, “we need a rule that if red flags are shown due to incidents on the track, you maybe don’t have to start three times. Because the impact was severe and it was hard to watch. I was there for Zarco’s crash, and that wasn’t nice either.”
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