Marc Marquez’s brutally honest verdict on Joan Mir’s contact in Thailand

Marquez’s Thai MotoGP Grand Prix consisted of two separate parts separated by a crash, but the most controversial moment came when he made contact with Joan Mir in the closing stages of the race.

Marquez dropped from second place as he tried to catch race leader – and eventual winner – Francesco Bagnaia on lap 14, but remounted in 16th and began pushing back into the points.

On lap 23, Marquez passed Joan Mir in turn three, but the two made contact as they reached the top.

Marquez moved into the middle and took over the position, and Mir stayed, but the former received a “relegation one position” penalty for irresponsible driving. Marquez was also stripped of a position after the race, dropping from 11th to 12th, but returned to 11th when it was revealed he had served a penalty for dropping one position during the race.

Marquez said he expected a penalty following the contact, but also believed it was a matter of perspective.

“I imagined I would get a penalty,” admitted Marquez.

“I haven’t seen the image, but if the image is from the straight side, it’s one point of view, but if the image is in the last part, it’s another point of view.

“But if the signal comes from a straight line, I was already driving parallel to Joan before the moment of braking.”

Marquez explained that rather than a simple case of him pushing Mir out of the way, as TV replays indicated, he believed the contact was the result of Mir trying to defend his position.

“What happened for me was that he lost three positions on the previous lap and he just tried not to give up,” Marquez said.

“And then at one point he released the brake, went into the corner, and I had no other choice because I had no rear brake after the accident.

“Then I say, ‘OK, get in touch.’ I mean, we had contact and I knew I would get a penalty.

Realizing he would receive a penalty and expecting, as it turned out, correctly, that he would be asked to give up one position, Marquez pressed on to minimize the impact of the penalty on his race.