Marquez-Di Giannantonio contact: Marc's apology in the press room

Marc Marquez apologized to Fabio Di Giannantonio in the press room at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The two crossed paths just as the Spaniard was about to speak to the press and the Italian to the TV crews. After the MotoGP Sprint, the Ducati Lenovo rider admitted his responsibility. Race Direction handed him a Long Lap Penalty, which he will serve in today’s race.

The Cervera phenomenon took Fabio Di Giannantonio down with him in the crash. "I made a mistake and I was penalized. Tomorrow (today, ed.) I’ll serve the penalty and there isn’t much more to add. I went in, saw he was running wide, and the alternative was to hit him from behind or throw myself inside. My intention was to run off the track, but when I hit that bump it folded on me and I was unlucky. If you crash alone, it hurts, but if you involve another rider, it hurts even more."

The incident happened at Turn 12, one of the trickiest sections of the American circuit. Marc Marquez attempted an inside overtake after a group braking, but he went in too fast, lost the front, and collided with the VR46 rider. Both ended up on the ground in one of the most hectic moments of the Austin MotoGP Sprint.

"DiGgia just passed me and, when I braked behind three riders, he started to slipstream. I couldn’t stop it; the front began to lock. I tried to see if I could pass on the outside, but Diggia was too wide on the ideal line and I couldn’t move. That’s when I said: ‘I’m not braking.’ And I moved to the inside to try to avoid a collision and regain ground, but it wasn’t possible."

The #93 collects his second “zero” of this MotoGP season, after the crash in the race at Buriram. In Sunday’s contest he will try to claw back valuable points so as not to lose too much ground in the standings, currently in Jorge Martin’s hands. What does Marc expect? "To serve the penalty I’ve been given and finish the race… With no targets. And if that doesn’t happen, I’ll still try to give 100%, as always."