Marc Marquez blamed Francesco Bagnaia for the accident during the MotoGP race in Portimao last week that resulted in both drivers failing to record a points finish.
Both riders were battling over fifth place with three laps to go when a coming together in Turns 4 and 5 saw Bagnaia retire and Marquez slip down to 16th on the road.
Marquez had run wide in his attempt to overtake Bagnaia, prompting contact as the reigning champion endeavoured to cut back underneath the Gresini Ducati rider.
“For me was a mistake for Pecco,” Marquez told The Race. “But not just the incident – he tried to come back and, okay, was too optimistic, but contact can happen.
“But it was a mistake because we were fighting for fifth-sixth. Two more points, two less. And he was suffering a lot with the tyres, especially with the rear tyre.
“So in the end, when remained three-four laps, you know that you will lose the position.
“So it’s not necessary to come back in that aggressive mode. But he decided like this. The consequence is two Ducatis, zero points.”
“I told the stewards it’s a racing incident on the very limit. But the stewards must decide what is the limit.” Marquez added.
The Spaniard also viewed the incident, which saw him unhurt despite attending the medical centre for a check-up, as “risky”.
However, Bagnaia’s take on the incident differed from Marquez, citing that it was obvious he would attempt to regain the place once he saw his rival had gone wide.
“When Marc arrived, he just tried to overtake, he went wide, I tried to cross the line, he crossed his line, and we collided,” Bagnaia explained.
“Something that makes me angry, but it’s normal. It’s a racing incident and we have to move on to the next one.”
“When he overtook me, he went wide! When a rider in front of you that is battling goes wide, what do you want to do? Overtake him again. To take more points.
“For me, from my side, wasn’t risky.”
Bagnaia’s pointless outing at Portimao saw him lose the championship lead to Jorge Martin, who dominated proceedings to be victorious for the first time in 2024.
