Aleix Espargaro on Marc Marquez’s crashes: “How many times?” | Riders “don’t dare” criticise

Aleix Espargaro has reopened the row over Marc Marquez’s crash at Portimao and questioned why his fellow riders “don’t dare” to question him.
Aleix Espargaro, Marc Marquez, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP 15 September
Aleix Espargaro, Marc Marquez, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP 15 September

Espargaro clai𝕴med the quantity of incidents that involve Marquez far outweighs eve🌸rybody else’s, and hinted that he receives different treatment to Takaaki Nakagami who is regularly called out.

Marquez has been absent from MotoGP since the third lap of the first grand prix, when he crashed into🅷 Miguel Oliveira, causing injuries to ♛both men.

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Espargaro cl𓃲aim🐲ed afterwards Marquez should have received a race ban, rather than a double long lap penalty, for causing the crash.

The Aprilia rider has now told : “It is not to be critical of Marc but to be honest and face it. The others are behಌind. 

“I'm going to face it, for better or for worse.

“Who said that the touches were his fault? How many touches h🧔as Marc had and how many have the other 20 riders combined? 

“Add the touches that have been on the grid in the last five 🅠years and their touches, only theirs, in the last five years. I only judged the one from Portugal. 

“If it 🌸can happen to anyone? Yes, but how many times has it happened to him and ho💫w many to me or Pecco?”

Miguel Oliveira, Marc Marquez crash, MotoGP race, Portuguese MotoGP, 26 March
Miguel Oliveira, Marc Marquez crash, MotoGP race, Portuguese MotoGP, 26 March

Marquez has not been the only rider involved in a crash this season. Jorge Martin wiped out Alex Marquez, for exaღmple, but Espargaro sees an important difference.

“How many times has Martín done it and how many times has 🦩Marc?”

Espargaro was told that Marquez has been in MotoG🍎P for far longer than Martin♛, but he replied: “I don't know, it's your opinion against mine. 

“What I said was🐭 nothing personal, far from it, but for me it was a very preventa꧅ble accident and one in which there could have been much more serious consequences.”

Espargaro toꦺok issue with other MotoGP riders who, he believes, are not strong enough in their criticism of Marquez. 

“There are many drivers, many, complaining that Nakagami deserves a severe penalty, because he has had many repeated ones and ไthere is no penalty,” Espargaro explained.

“B🐠ut there is no boom because Nak🍃agami is not Márquez. 

“Nakagami has had a hundred times more [criticism] than Marc, but 🔯it's not Marc and it doesn't come out everywhere. 

“And with Marc it's like they don't dare. 

“Why do we all dare with Na🧔kagami and then we ask Fabio 𝓰and Pecco about Marc and their answers are 'yeah, well..."

Aleix Espargaro , MotoGP race, Grand Prix Of The Americas, 16 April
Aleix Espargaro , MotoGP race, Grand Prix Of The Americas, 16 April

Espargaro 🌼and Marquez🐟 have long had a tense relationship - although the Aprilia rider, last season, gave his Honda rival a respectful embrace before he headed for career-threatening surgery.

However, Espargaro insists that the crash in Portimao wa🌊rranted more than a mere double long lap penalty (the status of which is 🧸still unclear, with the MotoGP Court of Appeals yet to decide).

“I did not speak of him in bad faith, far 𓆏from it,” Espargaro said. 

“For me the action was very hard and it was for 😼a greater sanction than what ౠthey proposed.”

Marquez hopes to return to this weekend’s 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:French MotoGP at Le Mans but he is already 80 points behin𝕴d Francesco Bagnaia at the summit of the standings.

Yet Espargaro thඣinks Marquez could still challenge for the title: “There are many points at stake. 

“With those lost here, he c📖an a💞lso be a champion very calmly. 

“The question is what condition he arrives in and how 🌌the Honda is. But for the p🍸oints..."

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