“Nobody’s fault” judgement on Alex Marquez v Pedro Acosta crash at Dutch MotoGP

Analysis of the incident between Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta at the Dutch MotoGP proves neither rider was to blame, it is explained.

The Gresini Ducati rider and the factory KTM star came together at the exit of Turn 5 on Lap 6 at Assen on Sunday.

Marquez crashed out, with his Gresini team explaining it was caused by his brake lever being touched.

The extent of his injury was also revealed by Gresini.

“It’s not dirty, there’s nothing he can do about it,” TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson explained.

“It’s two riders being stubborn. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s a mess.

“It’s so unfortunate that Marquez got injured.

“It was a subtle thing - when you accelerate out of a corner there is no weight on the front, if you touch the front brake, the front wheel will stop rotating, when it comes down it will lock, turn, and face-plant you.”

'Horrible crash' for Alex Marquez explained

Hodgson went into detail: “They are through the danger zone. Both riders would feel safe.

“Both riders are accelerating hard. Alex Marquez’s tyre is off the ground as he accelerates, Pedro Acosta’s tyre is off the ground as he accelerates.

“When your front wheel comes off the ground at this point, Acosta’s bike weaves to the left. And that collides with Marquez.

“Essentially, Marquez’s front wheel is off the ground. As they collide, he touches Marquez’s front brake.

“So when the wheel comes back down and touches the ground, there’s a puff of smoke, and it locks the front.

“It bounces him off Pedro. It’s a horrible crash. Down he goes, hard.”

Marquez is now 68 points from the championship lead, held by his brother Marc Marquez.

Marc won the Dutch MotoGP in the absence of his younger sibling after the crash.

Alex is heading to Madrid for surgery and has a two-week break until the Sachsenring, the next round. The German venue is notoriously one of Marc’s favourites.

It was a punishing weekend for the brothers, with Marc falling heavily twice on Friday. He rebounded with two victories.