Bautista slams Marquez for Qatar DNF

Alvaro Bautista has slammed Marc Marquez for a collision between the duo during last night’s opening race of the 2015 MotoGP season. The incident, at turn one on the opening lap, left the Aprilia rider retiring to the pits on the opening lap of the race.

“Marquez got off to a bad start and he wanted to make up positions quickly, but without considering the fact that there were other riders on the track. In turn 6 he squeezed between Barbera and me, I have no idea how, hitting me and ruining the front brake area, lines and sensors. It was impossible to continue.

“I’m sorry because Marc is a good guy, but he has been too aggressive in the past in these types of situations. I think it is only right to point it out to him because it’s risky. Today I was lucky because I didn’t crash, but it doesn’t take much to get hurt out there.”

After the race Marquez dismissed the incident as bad luck for Bautista:

“I’m really sorry for him, because I didn’t know,” said Marquez. “Now when I saw the video, because the contact was not really big, he went wide a little bit and I went inside, but it was not a big contact. Was just I think unlucky, no? Because maybe with the foot rest or something, I touch his cable of the brake, and I’m sorry with him, because the relationship with him is really good, but I think it’s just unlucky.”

However, despite race control investigating the contact at the time, no action was taken against the Spaniard for the move.

Marquez was involved in a similar incident at Aragon two years ago, where contact between him and teammate Dani Pedrosa cut a sensor cable on Pedrosa’s bike, resulting in the triple world champion being jettisoned off his bike after a sudden traction control failure.