Pedro Acosta tore through a harsh rebuke of Alex Marquez after the Motegi sprint crash on Saturday, which saw the Spanish rider take both Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio out of the race on opening lap.
Both riders were penultimate among the front‑row decked competitors; Acosta had secured first‑row grid positions after clinching his inaugural MotoGP victory in Austria a month earlier.
Yet the incident abruptly ended a promising sprint, depriving Acosta of a podium finish that could have tightened the gap to third‑placed Marco Bezzecchi in the championship standings.
Stewards concluded that the collision stemmed from Marquez’s attempted advance at Turn 3—a move Acosta considered “optimistic” and “too early for a podium.”
In response, the governing body has imposed a double long‑lap penalty for the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, a sanction Marquez acknowledged as “fully justified” during a post‑race statement.
Marquez accepts responsibility and accepts the penalty
Marquez’s official comment explained that the overtaking move at the first corner led to a loss of control, “causing me to take out two other riders.”
He emphasized that the incident was “bad day” and asserted learning from the setback as he prepares to compete in the next round.
History of clashes between the two riders
The rivalry dates back to Assen last year when the pair endured a hand‑clash that resulted in an injury for Marquez, and a few laps ago at Misano, where Marquez gave Acosta a finger‑pointing gesture during a neck‑and‑neck duel.
A separate Mauritian mishap in May blocked Marquez’s path, but that crash was attributed solely to a mechanical failure on KTM’s machinery.
Following the 2024 Motegi incident, Di Giannantonio limped into the media centre, refusing to comment on the race outcome.
When questioned about Marquez’s involvement, he replied, “Ask Alex,” before dismissing further discussion.
Looking ahead, the cumulative effect of the penalty and a points loss ahead of the next race could reshape Acosta’s momentum entering the rest of the season.
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