Marc Marquez revealed that a momentary distraction linked to Johann Zarco’s crash caused him to lose control and crash during Saturday’s Czech MotoGP qualifying session at Brno. While attempting to close a 0.2-second gap to Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia, Marquez was fastest through the first three sectors of his final lap before sliding off at Turn 13.
Television footage showed Zarco already walking away from an accident at the same corner moments earlier, raising questions about whether yellow flags were displayed to warn riders of the hazard. If flags had been shown, Marquez would have faced a double long-lap penalty, following a similar punishment given to Lorenzo Savadori last weekend in Germany for the same infraction.
No Yellow Flags Confirmed, Marquez Avoids Penalty
Replays of the incident made it clear that no yellow flags were visible at the moment Marquez crashed, a fact the rider himself confirmed during parc ferme. The time gap between Zarco’s and Marquez’s accidents was estimated to be less than a second.
When Zarco crashed, I saw some smoke. Then my vision goes a bit over there, I went a bit wide, and I just lost the front.
—Marc Marquez, MotoGP rider
Despite the crash, Marquez maintained second place on the grid, positioning himself between pole-sitter Bagnaia and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo for both the Sprint race and the Grand Prix.
Marquez Reflects on His Qualifying Performance and Upcoming Race
Marquez described the day as unique and praised his riding, especially considering the challenging conditions earlier in the weekend.
Today was a special day, a special way to ride the bike,
he remarked, referencing his strong pace in Friday’s wet sessions.
It was difficult to do the first time attack of the weekend already in qualifying, but I’m happy to be on the front row.
—Marc Marquez, MotoGP rider
Having secured four consecutive Sprint and Grand Prix victories, Marquez will aim to extend his winning streak to nine races in a row during Sunday’s main event at Brno.
