Why MotoGP riders blamed a gravel trap for Marc…

Alex Marquez and Joan Mir have hit out at the Turn 7 gravel trap in which Marc Marquez picked up a fracture at today’s MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix.

The run-off area at the fast right-hander came in for criticism after the accident, which began when Marco Bezzecchi ran into the new world champion.

Between them, the two Spaniards questioned not only the nature of the gravel itself but also its very existence. The change in surface, or ‘step’, between asphalt and gravel is what catapulted Marc into the air, which in turn led to him falling heavily on his right side.

“In that part [of the track] it was very dangerous from what I saw,” said 2020 world champion Mir, who was following close behind the incident. “Marc probably broke his collarbone because of the step.

“But I was also worried for Bezzecchi because when he was on the bike, he hit that step and he went to the gravel super fast. I don’t really understand why we have gravel there because if we just have asphalt it will be much more safe for us.”

With his brother injured again after years of rehabilitation, Alex Marquez added further strong opinions on the gravel trap.

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team (Photo by: Robertus Pudyanto / Getty Images)

“Have you seen the state of the gravel?” he remarked when shown a video of the crash. “It’s a mess. It’s always the same: nothing gets done until something happens. There are huge rocks, it’s impossible not to get hurt.

“I can’t be happy. There was a bump [the step] in the ground. When you fall at this speed, what a rider wants to do is ‘brake’, put their arms out. You have to be more aware of these things.”

While Alex Marquez laid the blame for the accident at Bezzecchi’s door, he was more interested in discussing the bigger picture – and identified the lengthy calendar as an contributing factor.

“I don’t want to criticise Bezzecchi. With the sprints, we have 44 races [in the season]. The chance of making a mistake is so high. Everybody made a mistake during the season and it’s almost impossible not to in some race or other. So it’s totally normal.

“We have arrived at the end of the season – physically and mentally we are [at the limit], all the riders. And I think it’s something we need to think about for the future.

“[With 44 races] it is no coincidence that there are so many injuries. People get hurt more. We want to put on a show, but we need to be better protected.”