Marc Marquez has often been criticized for his erratic riding style, which not only has won the Spaniard his 8 World Titles but also is the reason behind his many injuries and horror crashes. Marquez’s style, coupled with the RC213V’s poor handling and pace, has resulted in multiple horrifying incidents for the Honda rider.

One such incident took place at this year’s Portuguese GP, and this time, the number 93 didn’t crash alone. Marc Marquez struggled for pace in the opening laps of the Grand Prix and had to count on his late-breaking to make moves on the race leaders. The Home hero – Miguel Oliveira, was running in P2 and was in contention for the race win when disaster struck.

Marquez misjudged his braking marker into the heavy braking zone at Turn 3 and appeared to lose his front tire, which eventually snapped back and headed straight toward the back of Oliveira’s RNF Aprilia. The unaware Oliveira was shunted hard from Marquez’s Honda (which wasn’t even braking at that point) and was instantly taken out in the horrific collision. Oliveira appeared to hold his lower back (the point of the collision) as the frantic Marquez rushed towards the Portuguese rider to check up upon him.

Marquez was heavily criticized for his move as he attacked from a long way back (from P4), prompting fellow riders and fans to demand a race ban for this Spaniard. Another Aprilia rider, Aleix Espargaro, said, “For me, they have to ban him for one race, minimum,” Espargaro, Marquez’s compatriot, highlighted the severity of the impact during the collision. He added, “For me, it’s ridiculous. I hope, but I don’t care, I don’t put the rules. I hope Miguel is good because the speed he hit Miguel you can destroy the knee.” The following penalty row and the criticisms that followed the crash make up another story.

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The Chaotic aftermath of the Marc Marquez – Miguel Oliveira crash

Miguel Oliveira didn’t had any major injuries following the horrific crash and how he latched on to his lower back. Marc Marquez sustained a big blow to his right hand and had to undergo prompt surgery following the crash [as reported by Crash.net]. Both the riders were declared unfit for the next round (Termas de Río Hondo) and missed the entire Argentine GP weekend. Marquez was taken out of the third round (Austin GP) as well due to the severity of his injury.

Marc Marquez was handed a ‘double-lap penalty’ by the FIM which the rider was supposed to serve at the Argentine GP. Due to his absence at the Argentine GP and the legalities of the FIM, Marquez wasn’t obligated to serve his penalty in the following races and, hence technically, didn’t have to serve any punishment for the crash on his return.

The 8-time World Champion returned at Le Mans after missing out on 3 Grands Prix. The FIM released a statement that decided to annul the initial double-lap penalty levied upon the rider. The Statement read that Marquez’s absence from 3 GP weekends itself seemed a fitting punishment for the collision. This decision came under heavy scrutiny.

Marquez walked to the RNF Aprilia Garage to apologize to the entire team and Oliveira himself in person following the crash. The collision made the entire following pack resort to evasive maneuvers, which cost them all dear time; Jorge Martin (who was in P3) lost the most amount of time but wasn’t taken out of the race. Martin later revealed that his toe was broken upon the impact.

The 2023 RC213V has proven itself to be far behind its competitors. This fact makes Marquez push the bike to its limits, causing the rider to ride at 100% to even be in the Top 6. Marquez, in 2023, has often crossed that limit and has found himself in the gravel alongside his wrecked Honda, and this has been an alarming sight for many in the paddock. The FIM continues to be lenient as fans anticipate action.

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