Unseen footage captures Marc Marquez’s true feelings about Simon Crafar

Marc Marquez has praised new MotoGP chief steward Simon Crafar for how he handled an incident during his battle with Pecco Bagnaia in the Italian Grand Prix.

Both factory Ducati riders were called to the FIM stewards' office after last Sunday’s grand prix at Mugello over a tough the pair had while battling for the lead in the early stages.

The incident was not officially investigated, but both Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia were brought to the stewards to discuss it.

No action was subsequently taken, but Marquez praised chief steward Simon Crafar for wanting to speak to both riders and understand their perspectives.

Marc Marquez comments on Simon Crafar

“Nothing, it’s just MotoGP,” Marquez told Sky Italy when asked why he went to the stewards.

“Yeah [everything is fine], Simon Crafar is doing really well. He always wants to talk to all the riders and know all their opinions.

“In the end, it’s not like in the past when they called you in to tell you what you did wrong. They want to know what happened.”

Marquez was later caught by Dorna cameras in conversation with his former Gresini crew, where he added: “I like how they’re doing it, at least we talk things through.”

In a conversation with his crew chief Marco Rigamonti, Marquez revealed details of what was said in the meeting.

“They told me if you overtake, you need a wider line to leave space so he [Bagnaia] can go through.

“I was like, I went in with the bike at an angle, I had to stop the bike and stay on my line.

“It’s okay, because at least with Simon Crafar you can talk to him. You’re able to speak to him.”

Crafar, a winner in the 500cc class and former TV pundit, took on the role as chief MotoGP steward this year as Freddie Spencer’s replacement.

Spencer’s time as chief FIM steward was marred by repeated incidents of inconsistency, with riders frequently voicing upset at this.

Since the start of this season, stewarding consistency and the way Crafar deals with the riders has been met with widespread praise from the grid.