Marc Marquez accidentally struck Enea Bastianini from behind during Dutch Grand Prix qualifying but the Honda rider later apologised, according to Factory Ducati MotoGP rider Bastianini.
The incident in Q1 that occurred well off the racing line and included Bastianini trying to avoid traffic shortly after terminating his lap due to an error didn’t enrage the Italian.
Marquez was following the same trajectory but did not manage to catch sight of the Ducati as it was cruising and avoid crashing behind it.
According to Bastianini, the Spaniard approached him to apologise for the incident which caused Marquez to tumble. Bastianini was able to maintain his position in the lead, but he could only finish 18th overall.
“At Turn 1, I nearly lost the front – it was a good save!” the Factory Ducati rider explained. “Then at Turn 4 I saw the other riders coming from behind and I made space [for them]. I was on the outside, and Marc was with me.
“It can happen, MotoGP is like this. After qualifying he came to my motorhome to say sorry.”
Marquez, who escaped the incident unhurt, started the sprint race in 17th place and finished in the same spot. After his miserable weekend last time out in Germany, when he sustained multiple injuries in incidents, the factory Honda rider has acknowledged that he is prioritizing safety in Assen.
This clarified why he chose to go against the norm and use a soft front tire for the sprint, a choice that, while slower provided him with the best evaluations.
“It’s just like on the road,” Marquez explained. “The person hitting from behind is the one who made the mistake.
“I’ve had that situation a thousand times. But this time, when I was looking behind me to make sure I wouldn’t disturb the other riders, Enea backed off and I didn’t see.”
Bastianini, who is making a successful recovery after a protracted absence due to injuries suffered at the season’s opening race in Portugal, was positive despite acknowledging that he felt “destroyed” and that he was experiencing shoulder pain after finishing eighth in the sprint.
“After the disaster of qualifying, the race was not so bad,” he said. “I overtook quite a few people and my pace was quite good.
“It wasn’t far to the leading group, and I’m happy about that. And we understand a few things now.
“Tomorrow the objective is the same: to recover some positions. But the long-distance races can be a problem to me – I was destroyed even after today’s race, with some shoulder pain.
“But I still have to try to improve on today.”
Bastianini’s third race after missing the first five of the season is this weekend’s event at Assen. He previously made a comeback at Mugello for the Italian Grand Prix.
Francesco Bagnaia who is his teammate at the factory Ducati squad, currently holds the championship lead with 169 points.
