Terror on the track and a human lesson: the Catalunya GP reignites the debate on limits and respect

Motorsport, beautiful and dangerous: what happened at the Catalan Grand Prix reminded us of that once again, and it deserves respect.

"Hoy doy solo gracias", "Today I only give thanks". Let’s start with this simple message from one of the absentees at Montmeló who clearly trembled the most yesterday. We can only imagine what Marc Marquez, at home and focused on recovering from his well-known physical issues, felt when he saw images of his younger brother Alex in that terrifying crash in Catalunya. We all feared the worst watching those images on TV or computer screens—imagine his brother, not to mention parents and girlfriend at the track... The same certainly applies to the family and friends of Johann Zarco, involved in the second horrific incident in the just-concluded GP Catalunya.

Too often we see insults and death threats, just because certain fanbases dislike rival riders of their favorites. Too often we then see this beautiful sport turned into pure spectacle, in which the feelings of young men like anyone else—human beings with emotions—are pushed aside. Multiple voices, starting with Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta, criticized the third restart after the two serious crashes, and others, from winner Fabio Di Giannantonio to wild card Augusto Fernandez, admitted they raced very shaken by what had just happened. And no, admitting it isn’t weakness, but simply a call for greater respect for human beings, not robots. Not to mention certain photos that circulated online right after the incidents when, let’s admit it, many (myself included) feared the worst outcome, especially for Alex Marquez... A discussion on this topic is needed; “the show at all costs” cannot continue.

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