Gresini Ducati rider Alex Marquez has apologised for clashing into South African and KTM Brad Binder during the French MotoGP race in Le Mans on Sunday.
Marquez was handed a three-place grid penalty for the next race at the Italian Grand Prix after sending Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco and Binder into spins on the opening lap of Sunday’s race.
The race stewards sanctioned Marquez for “irresponsible riding causing danger to other competitors” and would have given him in-race punishment had he not crashed out of the race himself.
Marquez, the young brother of six-time MotoGP champion Marc, said his move on Zarco and Binder was not intentional.
FIM MotoGP Stewards ????#MotoGP rider #73 @alexmarquez73 has been given a three-place grid penalty for the next Grand Prix Race in which he participates in due to being overly ambitious at Turn 6 on lap 1 of the #FrenchGP
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) May 14, 2023
“They closed the gas so early and then I touched just a little bit Brad. Brad’s line is really inside there and he was trying to defend and I just touched him a little bit, but I saw that he lost some positions,” Marquez said.
“So I’m sorry for that because it was not my intention to go against Brad. I just touched him just a little bit, but you know, for him it was a big one because he went really, really off [wide].”
Binder was given a long-lap penalty during the race after failing to lose a second when running off circuit in trying to overtake his teammate Jack Miller.
The 27-year-old South African finished the race in sixth place has dropped to third from second in the world championship standings following Marco Bezzecchi’s win for VR46 Racing.
