The documentary “Marc Marquez All In” offers us many moments of emotion and revelations about the eight-time World Champion who recounts his ordeal, from his fall in Jerez in 2020 until today. So it is this passage which deals with his frightening “highside” during warm-up of the Indonesian Grand Prix. A proper catapulting of his RC213V, with a hard landing on the asphalt from which he got up staggering, miraculously unscathed by any fracture. But no injury. It took the direct and human intervention of his brother Alex to stop a massacre that could have continued during the race. A poignant testimony certainly, but also worrying about a general organization, both in the paddock and within the team, which does not seem to think for a second of protecting the driver who is, to say the least, shaken against himself.
The Indonesian episode is narrated in the documentary, at the time when, after his accident at Mandalika which would have cooled more than one, Marc Marquez seems to decide to do the Indonesian Grand Prix anyway. What follows is a dialogue that says a lot… “ When I got back on the track, I wasn't seeing double yet “, Marc said in the documentary. “ I wanted to run. My brother said, 'Don't race, man.' ". And for good reason: the concussion was in the news as well as arm injuries. The dreaded diplopia had all the circumstances to appear at any time. Which turned out just a few hours later...
Alex Marquez remember : " I saw where he hit his head. I said, 'This gives me a bad feeling'. After the warm-up, I assumed he wouldn't run. I was in his office and I remember the team leader Santi Hernandez came in and said " everything is ready ", because it's his job ».
Alex Marquez: “ I stood up to him. I said: 'listen, Marc doesn't run'. There are many races but only one life«
A mechanics of events that resembles a crusher thatAlex Marquez stopped short, stopping time like this: “ at that moment I thought "no" . I stood up to him. I said: 'listen, Marc doesn't run'. There are many races but only one life. You would make a mistake today ". He adds : " it looked like he didn't want to run, but he needed someone to calm him down and tell him 'you don't have to run' ". A final remark which still raises questions about management within the team, among other stakeholders in MotoGP who until then we imagined were still concerned about the integrity of a pilot.
In the documentary, Marc completes his younger brother's intervention with his memories: “ he said: 'You can't go out, you took a beating there, it's impossible'. The diplopia got worse and I said, 'ok, I'm not running.'. I had a fall, hard, double vision ". However, Marc Marquez adds: “ but it was still not as serious as the other falls ».
In 2023, a concussion protocol finally comes into force in Grand Prix. Better late than never, and hopefully it will be respected. This question remains: what would have happened if Alex Marquez hadn't intervened directly with his older brother?
