{"id":570989,"date":"2026-03-29T00:21:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T00:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/570989\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T00:21:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T00:21:07","slug":"marquez-penalised-for-di-giannantonio-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/570989\/","title":{"rendered":"Marquez penalised for Di Giannantonio clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marc Marquez will receive a long-lap penalty in MotoGP\u2019s Grand Prix of the Americas for taking out Fabio Di Giannantonio on lap one of the sprint<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Marquez was attempting to pass the polesitting VR46 Ducati rider for third at the end of the back straight but started to run wide then tucked the front and fell, collecting Di Giannantonio in the process.<\/p>\n

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???@marcmarquez93<\/a> CRASHES and takes @fabiodiggia49<\/a> WITH HIM \ud83e\udd2f#USGP<\/a> \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 pic.twitter.com\/98YlEdpqMI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MotoGP\u2122\ud83c\udfc1 (@MotoGP) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

A statement from the officials said the reason Marquez had only received a single long-lap penalty rather than a potential double one was because it was \u201ca first offence for the season, on the opening lap, and in this instance without consequence to multiple riders\u201d.<\/p>\n

Marquez had not officially received the penalty when he spoke to the media after the race but admitted he expected to be punished and felt it would be deserved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI must have a penalty,\u201d said Marquez. \u201dAlways I try to be fair, and I made a mistake, and I need to have a penalty, and tomorrow I will serve that penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he had been caught out by both other riders\u2019 slipstreams on the back straight and the Austin bump in the clash.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to stop the bike as I can but I didn’t consider enough the slipstream of three bikes,\u201d said Marquez.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn one point I tried to go out [wide] because if not there was a big chance to hit Diggia very hard from behind. And then I saw there was no space outside and I tried to jump in, to just let the bike go, and turn outside the circuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the problem is, on that small bump in the middle of the corner, I lost the front.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways a crash hurts you but if you crash with another rider it’s even worse, because you don’t want to destroy the other rider’s sprint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marquez is already starting only sixth for Sunday\u2019s race, and having to take a penalty as well creates another significant obstacle to what would be his eighth GP win at Austin.<\/p>\n