During a 12-lap sprint race, 15 out of the 25 riders experienced falls, with 10 of these occurring within a span of approximately 10 minutes from lap seven until the end. Turn 5 proved particularly treacherous, claiming multiple victims, including Vinales who was in third place at the time.
The cascade of falls began with crashes by Alex Marquez, Brad Binder, and Enea Bastianini in the preceding lap, followed by a series of accidents involving Marc Marquez, Luca Marini, Stefan Bradl, Johann Zarco, and Marco Bezzecchi.
Despite the sudden increase in incidents, race officials opted not to halt the race. Jorge Martin of Pramac went on to claim victory, with Pedro Acosta and Fabio Quartararo following closely behind. However, Quartararo later faced penalties due to tire pressure violations. Many riders highlighted the presence of damp patches in critical areas, with Vinales emphasizing the invisible nature of the wet spots, particularly at Turn 5, making them extremely hazardous.
Vinales criticized the decision not to stop the race, advocating for a thorough inspection of the circuit. He highlighted the difficulty in discerning the wet patches, stressing the need for caution in such conditions. He also expressed frustration at the lack of communication channels between riders and race officials to report track issues in real-time, despite previous requests for such systems.
Alex Marquez acknowledged the recurrent issue of slow drying at Jerez, especially since the track resurfacing in 2019, making Turn 5 particularly problematic. He urged for proactive measures to address these issues to ensure rider safety and enhance the quality of races for spectators.
Brad Binder attributed his crash to reacting to Alex Marquez’s fall, inadvertently encountering the damp patch. Aleix Espargaro, Vinales’s teammate, questioned the decision to start the race given the evident track conditions. While he didn’t advocate for stopping the race once it began, he expressed concerns about the initial decision to proceed despite the risks posed by wet patches.
Espargaro also highlighted the challenges faced by race officials in managing track conditions, especially concerning the timing of race starts and drying efforts. He emphasized the complexity of balancing safety concerns with the logistical difficulties of track maintenance and regulation enforcement, particularly with powerful bikes like those in MotoGP.