MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez took his first sprint crash in more than a year in philosophical stride after tumbling out of the lead at the San Marino Grand Prix on Saturday, ending a remarkable run of consistency in the shorter format.
Having started on the second row, the Ducati rider took the lead halfway through the sprint but a few corners later found himself in the gravel to miss out on a sprint podium for the first time this season.
The crash snapped an extraordinary podium streak for the six-times champion, who had won 14 of the 15 sprints before his Misano mishap and had not failed to finish a sprint since last year’s Austrian Grand Prix – a run spanning 24 races.
“We are humans and it’s the first mistake of the sprint race of the season,” the Spaniard told TNT Sports after Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi won the sprint on home turf.
“I was riding in a good way, I was riding well. That turn 15, I went in a bit wide and just forced a bit more. With that bike, when you just lose the front a bit, the fairings are touching and you cannot save (it).
“But, it’s okay, let’s see if tomorrow we can keep going with the same level, because we have a very good pace.”
Despite the setback, Marquez maintains a commanding 173-point lead over his brother Alex in the championship standings going into Sunday’s grand prix.
With the paddock constantly calculating when he might seal the title, the elder Marquez says he will not adopt defensive tactics.
“We are just going with the same mentality as always,” Marquez said.
“It’s crazy that (with) six races to go, we’re already talking about the championship with the sprint races, with a lot of points in the game.
“But I will keep the same mentality because until now I was working in a very good way.”
