How One MotoGP Rider Sent the Entire Paddock into a Frenzy at COTA
Marc Marquez made a late call to opt for dry tyres moments before Sunday’s American MotoGP which led to many others abandoning their bikes and sprinting down pit lane
Polesitter for the American MotoGP Marc Marquez made a decision prior to Sunday’s race that had a massive impact on the race, with the start being delayed, and the drama spilling over post-race.
With the track wet in the lead up to the Grand Prix, wet tyres were thought to be the tyre worth starting the race on. However, Marquez made a last-minute gamble on slicks, making for the pits just three minutes before the start to grab his dry-tyred bike and causing a stampede when several other riders joined the eight-time world champion in leaving their bikes on the grid.
This caused a delay to the race start with Marquez’s Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia also fleeing from the grid to make a tyre change.
If ten riders choose to return to pit lane moments before a race start then a delay is caused, however, Marquez and Bagnaia were two of eight, so a delay was not necessarily needed. However, the frenzy also led to Maverick Vinales running back down the grid in search of his bike.
Due to the scale of the chaos, Race Direction was left with no choice but to delay the start. "Given the number of riders, bikes and pit staff on the grid and in the pitlane area, it was impossible to start the warm up lap,” said Race Direction.
“A new race start was the safest way to respond to the unprecedented circumstances at the start of the Grand Prix.”
Despite making the decision to go with his teammate and opt for slick tyres initially, Bagnaia feared a penalty could come his way.
He said: “As soon as I started running, I just hoped that many riders would follow. Because I said, if we are just two, I think some penalty could arrive.
“But then I saw many riders following from the big screen. So I said, ‘they will not have enough time to remove the bikes from the grid, so there will not be any penalty’. It’s not clear in the regulations in this particular situation.”
While the gamble to change tyres resulted in no penalties, Marquez’ decision to cause havoc by switching bikes on the grid did not sit that well with some of his competitors.
Trackhouse Team Principal Davide Brivio admitted he was “upset” with the way the start played out.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
