Why wasn't Marc Márquez penalized in Jerez?

Once again this season, the winner of the Sprint MotoGP He has won the controversy. After Pedro Acosta's overly aggressive overtake of Marc Márquez in Thailand, it is the number 93 who is accused of an infraction in Spain. Winner on home soil in chaotic conditions, many believe he should have been penalized.

The incident occurred shortly after the halfway point of the race. Having made a good start, Marc Márquez had just been overtaken by his younger rival Álex when rain began to fall on the Jerez circuit. It was then that the 2025 world champion lost control of his machine in the final corner.

Although he had already passed the usual pit lane entrance, he still decided to dive into the garages, cutting across the grass separating the track from the pit lane entrance corridor. Ducati had already prepared a bike fitted with rain tires, and this change came at the perfect time for Márquez. Once all his rivals had pitted, only Pecco Bagnaia still stood between him and victory, but overtaking him was a mere formality.

🤯 @marcmarquez93 HAS CRASHED BUT HAS MADE IT TO THE BOX TO CHANGE BIKES#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/K41IPHPxTC

- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) April 25, 2026

Criticism erupted after the race, with many believing Marc Márquez should have been penalized for the infraction. The stewards, however, didn't even deem it necessary to investigate the incident, and Marc Márquez was declared the winner.

What do the pilots think?

During the traditional post-race debriefings with the riders, the topic was on everyone's lips. Penalized for a similar infraction during the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix, Johann Zarco is among the riders who believe Marc Márquez should have been penalized. "I don't think it's fair at all. There might be some logic to the explanations. He hasn't finished his lap yet, but he had already decided not to return. And so, when you decide not to return, you can't go back on it.", the Cannes native confided to the media, including AUTOhebdo, in Jerez.

The Frenchman believes that the leniency shown to Márquez by the authorities also stems from the status of the nine-time world champion: "I think he really has the luck of a champion."he continued, before recalling the circumstances of the similar incident in which he was involved in Motegi. “What happened to me in Japan was that I crashed in front of the pits, picked up the bike, and pushed it back into the pits via the normal route. But because I didn't go through the 60 km/h gate, they told me it wasn't valid. I had gone just outside of it. And that really pisses you off.” He therefore does not understand why no decision has been made: "No, that's not even conceivable. It's a lot of luck. It's not about knowing the rules, it's just a lot of luck."

Other drivers, like fabio quartararoThey see no offense in it: "I don't think anything of it. I would have done the same thing as him in those circumstances. It paid off."

Marc Márquez within the rules in Jerez

The regulation specifies that "During races, the continuous white line inside the pit lane entrance and exit must be respected to avoid cutting corners and driving dangerously." Marc Márquez therefore did not commit an offense in this specific case.

Turned it all around in the blink of an eye 🤩🥇#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/O3zMuF5dfq

- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) April 25, 2026

In any case, the incident has generated a lot of discussion. At Aprilia, Ducati's rival factory, the feeling is naturally that Marc Márquez should have been penalized. While he didn't gain any advantage in the sector of this maneuver, his crash having cost him a significant amount of time, Noale regrets another advantage gained by the Spaniard. By entering the race on that lap, and not a lap later, the reigning world champion gained a decisive advantage by having a bike fitted with rain tires a lap earlier, having not had to complete the entire lap to enter the pits "normally".

This leaves room for interpretation. It's also worth remembering that the stewards have been instructed not to penalize drivers after the race, to avoid the final result differing from the one in effect at the time of the podium ceremony. In any case, it's highly likely that clarification on this rule will be provided soon.

Interview by Luca Bartolomeo, in Jerez. 

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