MotoGP Le Mans: Alex Marquez penalised for Binder, Zarco incident by FIM Stewards

Alex Marquez has been given a three-place grid penalty for his next MotoGP race following Sunday's French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
Alex
Alex

The FIM Stewards handed Marquez the sanction for 'irresponsible riding causing danger to other competitors' at Turn 6 on the open🅘ing lap, when his manourvere 'disturbed' Brad Binder and Johann Zarco.

An appeal by the Gresini team was rejected on the grounds that Marquez had indee♛d been ‘overly ambitious🦹’, that the resulting 'chain reaction' disturbed other riders, and that the penalty was appropriate since Marquez would have received an equal in-race punishment had he not crashed out on lap 6.

Speaking before the news of the penalty, Marquez said of the incident: “I was behind Jo💞hann and after turn 5 I was not expecting him to be braking really soon. Then I was trying to avoid him on the inside."

After Marquez 🗹dived inside Zarco, the Frenchman went slightly wide. Marquez then clipped the back of Binder, sending the KTM rider to the edge of the asphalt before he turned back onto the track.

“They closed the gas so early and then I touched just a little bit Brad.🦋 Brad's line is reꦅally inside there and he was trying to defend and I just touched him a little bit, but I saw that he lost some positions," Marquez said.

“So I'm sorry for that because it was not my intention to go against Brad. I just touched him just a little bit, but you know, for him it was a big one because he went really, reallyꦯ off [wide].”

While Marquez finished the opening lap in eighth and Zarco in tenth, Binder lost💧 out most in the⛄ incident.

"When you drop back to ℱ20th place on the first lap, it's difficult," said the South African.

Marquez later cras♈hed out when he hit the back of Luca Marini, who was recovering from a save on the exit of Turn 4.

Zarco f♋inished his home race in t⭕hird, with Binder sixth for KTM after a late long-lap penalty for cutting a chicane.

The ne𒊎xt MotoGP round will be held at Mugello, a home event for Gresin🐭i and Ducati, next month.

The FIM Stewards are yet to announce any penalties for the Maverick Vinℱales-Francesco Bagnaia clash.

Peter has been in the paddꦰock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.

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