Spanish rider Marc Marquez caused a high-speed crash that took out both himself and Miguel Oliveira, who was competing in his home race.
Marquez, riding an unfancied Honda bike, had managed to take pole position in a shock result on the previous day. However, his poor start to the race saw him drop back to fourth place, and in a desperate attempt to make up positions, he attempted a dangerous move down the inside of his rivals as they approached turn three.
Marc Márquez knows he’s made a real mess of that! 😬
Miguel Oliveira is collected and out of his home race…#PortugueseGP pic.twitter.com/8oVedpRQuX
— MotoGP on BT Sport (@btsportmotogp) March 26, 2023
The move saw him collide with Oliveira, causing both riders to crash out of the race within the opening laps. Oliveira was seen tumbling across the track, and Marquez reportedly fractured a bone in his right hand in the collision. Marquez was seen with a cast on his arm after the race and was also handed a double long lap penalty to be served in the next race by stewards.
Fans were quick to express their frustration with Marquez’s move, with some calling for him to be banned from the sport. Despite this, some fans praised Marquez for his conduct after the accident, noting that he had immediately gone to check on Oliveira and had shown concern for his fellow rider’s wellbeing.
The incident capped off a weekend of crashes and injuries for the MotoGP grid, with two riders ruled out of the race due to earlier incidents. Pol Espargaro suffered serious injuries after losing control of his KTM bike and being flung into the barriers, while Enea Bastianini sustained a fracture to his right shoulder blade after a crash with Luca Marini during Saturday’s sprint race.
The weekend’s sprint and race were both won by last year’s champion, Francesco Bagnaia, who is looking to become the first man to retain his crown since Marquez in 2019. The next race of the season is set to take place on April 9th in Argentina.
