Gresini Racing's Marc Marquez blamed Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia for their collision at the Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday. The incident occurred with three laps remaining at the Algarve International Circuit, causing both riders to crash and lose crucial points in the MotoGP championship.
The two were vying for fifth place when they made contact on a turn, leading to the crash. Bagnaia could not finish the race, while Marquez salvaged 16th place, just missing out on scoring points.
Despite the incident, MotoGP stewards opted not to penalize either rider, a decision that both six-time champion Marquez and reigning champion Bagnaia accepted.
"I told the stewards it's a racing incident on the very limit. But the stewards must decide what is the limit," Marquez told reporters.
"For me, it was a mistake from Pecco (Bagnaia), but not just the incident because, in the end, he tried to come back. It was too optimistic, and contact could happen. He was suffering a lot, especially with the rear tires.
"In the end, when three or four laps remain, you know you will lose the position. So it's unnecessary to come back in that aggressive mode, but he decided this, and the consequence for Ducati is zero points."
Bagnaia admitted he was in trouble because he did not have the pace to compete for a podium, but he added that the overtake he attempted was not risky.
"When a rider in front of you who you are battling with goes wide, what do you want to do? Overtake him again to take more points. So, for me, it wasn't risky," he said.
"I tried to be in front as much as possible, but when Pedro (Acosta) arrived, he was too fast. When Marc arrived, he just tried to overtake and went wide.
"I tried to close the line. He crossed his line and we collided. It's something that makes me angry, but it's normal. It's a racing incident, and we must move on to the next one."
Bagnaia's crash cost him dearly as he fell from first in the championship to fourth, 23 points behind leader Jorge Martin, who won Sunday's race after taking the lead on the opening lap. Marquez is sixth, a further 10 points behind.
The next race weekend is the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on April 12-14.