Alex Marquez experiences heart-stopping moment in Mugello MotoGP Turn 1 close-call

Marquez blames slipstream for early race incident at Mugello

In a dramatic start to the MotoGP Grand Prix of Italy held in Mugello, Marc Marquez narrowly avoided hitting three riders as he ran wide into Turn 1. The Spaniard was sat behind Jack Miller, Luca Marini and Marc Marquez in the early stages of Sunday’s grand prix.

The Slipstream Effect

Explaining what happened after the race, Marquez claimed that he was sucked into the mistake by the strong slipstream he had from the riders ahead. He insisted that he didn’t brake any later than he had done on previous laps.

“Yeah, it was really strange,” said Marquez. “I broke really early, and then Luca and Marc did a really strange movement at that point.”

He added,”And with wings equipped to our bikes nowadays, it’s what we always say -the slipstream absorbs you directly. I was braking every time with similar pressure but my bike kept moving forward.”

“So at that point I started wondering – ‘what do I need to do?’ Luckily they opened up a little gap which allowed me to pass them smoothly.” (Ed Note- Imagine thinking this through while travelling over 200 km/h!)

A Nerve-Wracking Moment For The Rider:

The dangerous moment left Marquez fearing for his safety during those initial moments of the race.

“I was not really late on the brakes, so it was a strange action honestly. When you lose all the downforce and more with two bikes in front of you, it’s impossible. I said ‘fuck!’. I was shitting in my pants, honestly.” (Ed Note- It’s understandable why he would be nervous; one wrong move could have ended his race – or even career.)

Marquez’s Crash:

Marquez sat in third after overtaking Marini on lap 13 but crashed out just two tours later. He blamed being too confident into Turn 2 where he fell.

The Aftermath:

“Up to that point it’s true that I was suffering a little bit with the front tyre, but not at that point,” Marquez explained.

“So maybe I put too much speed there with too much confidence. With every other turn before then, I expected to lose control of my bike except for this one.” (Ed Note- A rare moment indeed)

A Missed Opportunity:

“So it’s a shame because we were fighting for the podium,” lamented Marquez. “Maybe today I needed to say ‘Ok stop here, you’ll make top five and let’s start going.’ But it was a podium and I tried for it.”