Marc Márquez triumphs in the Sprint at Jerez after a crash: "I crashed in the best corner and at the best moment"

Marc Márquez is back in the spotlight, and with him, the touch of madness that characterizes legends. During a Spanish Grand Prix sprint that entered another dimension, one of those races that will be talked about for a long time, the nine-time world champion experienced a whole range of emotions.

From the moment the lights went out, the pole-sitter maintained his lead. Márquez seemed calm, but the Andalusian weather decided to intervene. After only four laps, the marshals waved the "flag-to-flag" signal. Rain had arrived, allowing the riders to change bikes.

On an increasingly treacherous track, Marc watched his brother Álex Márquez close in on him. With disconcerting ease, the younger Márquez brother took the lead on lap eight. The tension ratcheted up a notch. One lap after being overtaken, Marc Márquez made a mistake. In a soaking wet turn 13, he lost the front end. All seemed lost. But the Spaniard had a stroke of luck amidst his misfortune. He picked up his bike, cut across the grass to reach the pit lane, and jumped onto his second bike, fitted with rain tires.

THE RACE GETS CRAZY 🤯

Leader Marc Marquez crashes as the rain falls heavily on the track and many riders return to the pits to change bikes 😱#SpanishGP | #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/SbhXaHYFTL

— CANAL+ MotoGP™ (@CanalplusMotoGP) April 25, 2026

Exiting the pits, he found himself neck and neck with Francesco Bagnaia. True to his aggressive style, Márquez launched a powerful attack to regain the lead. Taking advantage of numerous crashes by his rivals caught out by the puddles, he won in front of a delirious crowd.

« This is my first victory after a fallhe exclaimed into the microphone of the official channel after the race! I crashed in the best corner at the best time. I wanted to come back in, but Álex Márquez had stayed out. I didn't want to make a mistake. I let other riders pass, and I knew it was my only chance to switch to the wet tires. I found myself in third position on the straight; I was very surprised. I'm very happy with this victory.. » Thanks to this success, Marc Márquez moves up to fourth place in the championship and once again equals Jorge Martin’s record with seventeen Sprint race wins.

However, this audacious maneuver is not universally accepted and has stirred up old resentments among some riders. Johann Zarco, in particular, believes that Marc Márquez should not be declared the winner. For the Frenchman, the feeling of injustice is all the more acute given that he himself was heavily penalized in a similar situation at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix. The stewards will therefore have to make a decision, even though the incident does not currently appear to be under investigation.

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