A strategic misstep during the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race left championship hopeful Marc Marquez facing an uphill battle.
The Gresini Ducati rider, desperate to add points and close the gap on the leader, was abruptly halted by a turn two crash on lap two.
Having been firmly entrenched in the top-five fight, Marquez took full responsibility for the error and admitted using a kerb incorrectly.
He’d encountered a similar bump on the corner earlier but managed to save himself. This time, however, his judgment faltered, resulting in a costly crash and his first point-less outing of the season.
Despite the setback pushing him further behind in the championship fight, Marquez maintains a level head. He understands that mistakes are an inevitable part of racing and vows to learn from this one.
He also downplayed a separate qualifying incident where he crashed after being overtaken, attributing it to the standard competitive jostling for track position that occurs during qualifying.
With his focus set on redemption, Marquez now sets his sights on Sunday’s grand prix. Determined to bounce back and reignite his title challenge, he’ll be looking to put this setback firmly behind him and deliver a performance worthy of a champion.