The curse continued for Marc Márquez in Indonesia. Once again, the Spanish champion failed to see the finish in Mandalika, hit on the first lap by Marco Bezzecchi while trying to rejoin the pack. Going off track, Márquez found himself painfully stuck in the gravel trap, clutching his right arm, which was visibly injured in the collarbone and the victim of an injury that raises questions about the rest of his season.
The scenario seemed already written on the Indonesian asphalt for the nine-time world champion. Starting from ninth on the grid, he didn't have time to complete a single full lap. Approaching turn six, Bezzecchi tried to go down the inside but lost control: the collision was inevitable and sent Márquez to the ground. The Ducati rider was immediately taken care of by the medical staff, concerned about his right shoulder injury – the same one that had already sidelined him for many months.
Asked about the accident during a press conference, Johann Zarco appeared lucid and supportive, while pointing out the constant pressure of the MotoGP calendar: “Yes, absolutely. It's true. Bez, he rushed a bit. It's more the image that I saw it. I didn't even see that Marc had fallen on the first lap. I just saw a black bike. And I thought it was a technical problem for Bez. Because I can see him straight ahead. I didn't notice that there was a guy practically under him. But it's hard for Marc. Because it's almost our championship, which is a shame about that. We're racing so hard that we don't even have time to enjoy a world title. Because whether it's Marc or anyone else, racing in a MotoGP race or simply riding in the MotoGP, you have to be in an extreme mental condition all the time to be able to dominate the subject. So, when you want to take a breather, you pay cash. And it's a shame because he should have enjoyed his title a little more. But no, he has one evening to enjoy it.” And then he comes home. I think it's more the chain of races that makes you let your guard down. Even if it's not his fault, as luck would have it.", analyzes Zarco, who deplores the infernal pace and the difficulty of maintaining absolute concentration throughout the season.
This latest crash puts a sudden halt to Marc Márquez's momentum, after winning the title just a week earlier in Japan. Initially diagnosed with a right collarbone injury and ligament damage, he has returned to Madrid for further tests. Márquez's bad streak continues at Mandalika, a circuit where he has never managed to finish since its inclusion on the calendar in 2022. It is already known that he will miss the next two rounds, at Phillip Island (Australia) and Sepang (Malaysia).
