Gresini rider Alex Marquez has to start from the back of the pack at the Thailand Grand Prix: But the crash before the start also had a positive aspect
Alex Marquez had a moment of shock during the MotoGP weekend in Buriram (Thailand) even before the main race started. On the lap to the starting grid, the Spaniard crashed in turn 11 because he wanted to try a risky line that had worked in the warm-up, which was also wet.
“It was a really stupid mistake. I apologized to the team for it,” Alex Marquez commented on the faux pas on Sunday afternoon and justified himself: “It was not a mistake that arose from a lack of concentration. I was driving on a line that I wanted to try.”
“In warm-up, I drove over the curbs in turn 11 every lap. When I was on my way to the starting grid, I wanted to check whether there was more water on the track at this point,” Alex Marquez explains his driving style.
Panic on the sighting lap! @alexmarquez73 has dropped it! ThaiGP pic.twitter.com/3Fc7sKx0l3
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) October 27, 2024
Although the Spaniard was not riding at the limit, the front wheel suddenly slipped away. “I wasn’t riding at full throttle to see what the grip was like in this corner. When I turned into the corner, it was like ice. By the time I realized it, I was already on the floor,” the number 73 describes the crash.
Stress in the Gresini box: replacement bike needs to be converted
Alex Marquez is aware that the crash before the race was a big mistake that prevented a better result. He switched to the reserve machine, which could not be converted in time for rain. That’s why Marquez had to start the race from the back of the grid.
“It complicated everything,” says Marquez, annoyed. ‘I switched to the other bike, which was set up for dry conditions. We converted it to a wet set-up. I started from the back of the grid and rode a normal race. The feeling was not particularly good. I tried to finish the race.’
Starting from 22nd on the grid, Marquez made up a lot of positions on the first lap, finishing the first lap in 15th place. By lap 26, he was in 10th place and finished just ahead of his brother Marc Marquez, who crashed in the race.
In retrospect, crashing on the way into the starting grid had a positive side effect. “I was actually lucky to crash on that lap. I was planning to use that line, so otherwise I would have crashed on the warm-up or the first race lap,” Marquez noted.