Marquez and Bagnaia called to MotoGP race direction to discuss contact in Italian GP

Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia were summoned to MotoGP race direction following their glancing touch during the frenetic start to the Italian Grand Prix.

Marc Marquez and Bagnaia, along with Alex Marquez, engaged in an explosive battle for the lead during the opening laps at Mugello, highlighted by the two factory Ducat riders making contact at Turn 5 on the third lap.

Bagnaia clipped Marc Marquez’s rear wheel with his front wheel, an incident that ended without consequences as both riders remained mounted to their GP25 bikes, while Alex Marquez took advantage of the clash to briefly lead the race.

The fight was so frantic that race direction decided to call in both factory Ducati riders to explain the manoeuvre. Neither rider was under investigation, as the summons focused on discussing the incident with the riders and not about a potential penalty.

Because Marquez was at the official podium press conference, while Bagnaia missed out having finished fourth, the Italian was the first to speak, while Marc did so later after his media appearances.

Marquez explained what he felt about the incident and downplayed the situation: “I was hoping to stay calm and let the laps go by, but Pecco was very brave and started with a lot of desire.

“But in my head, I was just trying to be patient and let the fuel tank run down a bit to establish the pace I had in practice.”

Bagnaia, for his part, played down the situation and stated that “the collision with Marc was typical of a race”.

“Today, in general, they didn’t penalise anything, that was quite clear in Moto3, so I think it was just a clarification,” Bagnaia explained.

“I don’t know what they said to Marc, but for me it was normal contact: he just waited to open the throttle because he didn’t want me to cut in front, which is normal in a race.”

With Marc Marquez recording his fifth grand prix win of the season, he has moved into a 40-point lead over his brother Alex in the championship, while Bagnaia is now 110 points off the top in third place.