MotoGP: Joan Mir Furious With Alex Marquez For Striking 'Like A Missile'

Saajan Jogia | Oct 6, 2024

Apr 14, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Joan Mir (36) of Spain and Repsol Honda Team before the MotoGP Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Honda rider Joan Mir is furious with Gresini's Alex Marquez after he was rear-ended by him during the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, causing both riders to retire from the race. The Spanish driver claimed Marquez approached him "almost like a missile."

The incident was investigated by FIM stewards, who found Marquez at fault. As a result, he was handed a long-lap penalty to be served at his next Grand Prix appearance, which is in Australia. The incident occurred on Turn 12 of the opening lap as Mir tried to recover crucial positions after his P17 start.

Marquez, who started in P10, made an error on Turn 11 before riding into the back of Mir's RC213V MotoGP bike "without thinking." Suggesting that he was more angry with the Spaniard about the sporting result than his injury, Mir explained to Es.motorsport.com:

"At turn 11 Alex went wide, and when he entered turn 12 he hit me from behind, without thinking, almost like a missile.

"You have to think a little more on the bike. Ruining other people's races is free. I'm more angry about the sporting result than about the fact that I could have been hurt."

Before Marquez's penalty was announced, Mir added:

"I'm waiting for Race Direction to make a statement.

"They may be sleeping or eating.

"And then I'm also waiting for an apology from him. It's not the first time something like this has happened to me with him.

"I was doing well, I was recovering until Alex decided to end my career.

"This is not a racing incident. When you have a driver in front of you and you hit him without thinking, it is not a simple racing incident."

However, Marquez has revealed his frustrations over the penalty he received, despite having apologized to Mir for the incident. The Gresini rider hit out at the inconsistency of the stewards' decisions, comparing his situation to Jack Miller’s at the Indonesian GP.

Marquez pointed out that Miller, who admitted fault for triggering a multi-rider pile-up at Turn 3, didn’t receive a penalty. Although Miller’s bike collided with other riders, including Marquez, after crashing solo in the group, the stewards deemed it a racing incident with no further action taken.

On Saturday, Marquez finished the Japanese MotoGP sprint race in seventh position at Motegi, securing three points after contending against Jack Miller, Maverick Viñales, and Marco Bezzecchi.