Yamaha’s Alex Rins revealed his intense anger toward Marc Marquez after their collision during the 2025 MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix sprint race, which severely hampered his performance. The crash occurred at Mandalika on Saturday, with Marquez forcing Rins off track while they vied for fifth place, ultimately ruining Rins’ chance for a strong finish despite his excellent qualifying effort.
Though initially furious, Rins later softened his stance after reviewing footage of the incident, acknowledging the unpredictable nature of racing. Marquez, a factory Ducati rider and 2025 champion, received a long-lap penalty for the incident but still managed to finish in the points.
The Incident Details and Its Immediate Consequences
The clash unfolded quickly at the start of the sprint race, as both riders challenged Honda’s Luca Marini under braking for Turn 2. Marquez went wide and inadvertently squeezed Rins, pushing him off the track. This caused Rins to plummet from a promising fourth-place starting position to 18th place, narrowly ahead of LCR rookie Somkiat Chantra. From there, Rins was only able to climb back to 13th, finishing behind Miguel Oliveira on the Pramac Yamaha.
Marquez was penalized with a long-lap penalty, marking his first such sanction during the 2025 season. After serving it on the third lap, he temporarily dropped to 13th—just ahead of Rins—before making a late charge to finish seventh.
Rins Reflects on His Reaction and Marquez’s Apology
Rins openly admitted how angered he was immediately following the race due to the impact on his performance. However, he later understood the racing circumstances after rewatching the footage.
“After the race, I was so angry with Marc because he destroyed my race,”
Rins said.
“But then looking at the images, he got maybe a little wind to stop the bike with [Luca] Marini in front of him.
One time, it can happen to me, one time it can happen to him. This is racing. Tomorrow we have another opportunity.”
When asked about whether he believed Marquez’s penalty was justified, Rins declined to comment, stating:
“It’s not my decision. It is the decision for race direction. I cannot give my opinion if it’s good or not.”
Marquez Acknowledges Mistake and Describes the Incident
Marc Marquez expressed regret for the collision and said he apologized to Rins directly after the race, though he believed the incident was unavoidable given the circumstances.
“[For] that mistake on first lap, I already said sorry to Alex,”
Marquez explained.
“But I couldn’t control that first lap [and] the first hard brake point.
“I jumped in on the dirty place a bit, started to slide the rear, plus the slipstream of the front riders [complicated the situation]. Me and Rins, both of us went a bit wide. But I was inside and I couldn’t stop because if I jumped Rins, Marini was there. So I touched him and he went on the run-off area.”
Marquez acknowledged that the penalty was justified and accepted it without dispute.
“When you do that, you need to receive a penalty. I saw long lap [on my dash], I respected it [the decision], I did it [served the penalty] and just after that, I relaxed even more.
Then I started a good comeback, and on the last part of the sprint. During my weekend, the last laps were my best three-four laps.”
Impact on Race Results and Championship Outlook
The clash significantly altered the race dynamics, with Rins losing valuable points after a strong qualifying showing, and Marquez falling temporarily behind but recovering to finish seventh. Meanwhile, Miguel Oliveira and other competitors benefitted from the incident.
This sprint race drama adds tension to the ongoing 2025 MotoGP season, highlighting the fine margins riders face during intense competition. Both Rins and Marquez remain top contenders, and their clash displays how split-second decisions under pressure can influence championship battles.
The Mandalika incident is likely to be thoroughly analyzed by team strategists and race officials, as the season advances with another race scheduled the following day, offering both riders a chance to reset and focus on scoring valuable points without further controversy.
