Marquez penalised for Di Giannantonio clash

Marc Marquez will receive a long-lap penalty in MotoGP’s Grand Prix of the Americas for taking out Fabio Di Giannantonio on lap one of the sprint.

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.

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 “a first offence for the season, on the opening lap, and in this instance without consequence to multiple riders”.

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.

“I must have a penalty,” said Marquez. ”Always I try to be fair, and I made a mistake, and I need to have a penalty, and tomorrow I will serve that penalty.”

He said he had been caught out by both other riders’ slipstreams on the back straight and the Austin bump in the clash.

“I tried to stop the bike as I can but I didn't consider enough the slipstream of three bikes,” said Marquez.

“In 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.

“But the problem is, on that small bump in the middle of the corner, I lost the front.

“Always 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.”

Marquez is already starting only sixth for Sunday’s race, and having to take a penalty as well creates another significant obstacle to what would be his eighth GP win at Austin.