Marc Marquez's 192 km/h scare: "Neck pain"

The first day of MotoGP in Austin ends in classic Marc Marquez style. In free practice he suffers a terrifying crash at 192 km/h, but fortunately gets back on his feet under his own power after a visit to the medical center. In pre-qualifying he sets the best time, but today we’ll have to check on his condition.

In the morning session the Cervera champion crashed at Turn 10 at high speed, causing the red flag to be shown and leaving the entire MotoGP paddock holding its breath. He lost the front of his Ducati Desmosedici GP over a bump in the asphalt, slid through the gravel before hitting the barriers. Fortunately, he was back on his feet after a few seconds, despite some obvious pain in his left hand and right shoulder.

Despite the crash and injuries, Marc Marquez showed his mettle. He put on a new racing suit and returned to the track just over ten minutes from the end, setting the fourth fastest time in practice. Proof that the Texas circuit seems to suit him perfectly. "I started with enthusiasm, because that’s how I begin every weekend, with intensity. But it’s true that in that corner, which is one of my strong points, I should have been more cautious."

A bump in the asphalt put all the MotoGP riders to the test, "but I was the one who crashed," Marc Marquez emphasized at the end of Friday at COTA. When he returns to the track in qualifying we’ll know his real state of health. "Mainly I have abrasions, which are the least serious thing, so to speak. But above all, I took a bad hit against the wall, because I struck it, but luckily there was a safety barrier and I managed to avoid it. We’ll see how the cervical spine reacts because that’s the tightest part."

Despite the heavy knock, the Ducati rider set the fastest time in the afternoon session, earning direct access to Q2. "After a crash like that, you don’t feel like going back out on track. But it’s in those moments that you put in the work and tell yourself: ‘That’s what we get paid for, right? To get back out there and give our best again.’ We’re human and after a crash you don’t feel like it, but I knew it was essential to do at least two laps at the end of FP1 to shake off the sensation of the fall, and that allowed me to go out in the afternoon with some feeling."

Is the run-off area at Turn 10 too small? "It’s a bit on the limit because we’re riding at high speed," the MotoGP champion underlined. "They saw that I arrived at high speed. If they widened the run-off area there a bit, it would be better. Sure, next year we’ll have the 850cc bikes, but I’m sure that even in Moto2 you can hit the barrier."

In qualifying we’ll find out how Marc is really doing, already coming off the injury at Mandalika in 2025. "When you take a hit like that, everything hurts. But the back and neck are especially the parts that hurt the most. Because they’re still warm. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. The shoulder is fine; I feel less pain in the shoulder because the pain is concentrated in other areas."