Johann Zarco questions Marc Marquez over Jerez pitlane entry: 'He shouldn't have won the race'
· Yahoo Sports
Johann Zarco believes Marc Marquez should not have been declared the winner of the the Spanish Grand Prix sprint, questioning the legality of the Spaniard’s actions after his late crash.
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Reigning MotoGP champion Marquez took victory in chaotic, mixed-weather race at Jerez after falling at the final corner, switching bikes as the rain intensified, and then charging back through the field.
But the sequence following his crash has raised eyebrows. As the rain picked up and several riders headed to the pits to change bikes, Marquez initially chose to stay out, only to crash at the final corner. After picking the bike up, he waited for the pack to pass before heading to the pits.
However, Marquez did not follow the conventional route into the pitlane, cutting across the track - and even riding briefly on the grass - to reach the entry. Race Direction did not investigate the incident.
The crash ultimately proved beneficial, as mistakes from rivals, including his brother Alex Marquez, combined with overtakes on Fermin Aldeguer and Bagnaia allowed him to recover and win.
Read Also: MotoGP Spanish GP: Marc Marquez wins chaotic sprint despite crashingSpeaking to Canal+, Zarco expressed his doubts over the move.
“For me, he shouldn’t win the race, because when he crashes at the last corner, it already means he had decided not to come into the pits,” said the Frenchman. “So if he is at Turn 13 and then comes back to the pits, it means he is going back, and you don’t go back on track.”
🤯 @marcmarquez93 HAS CRASHED BUT HAS MADE IT TO THE BOX TO CHANGE BIKES#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/K41IPHPxTC
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 25, 2026
Marquez did not ride against the direction of the circuit, instead cutting across it perpendicularly, which likely explains the lack of investigation. But Zarco remains unconvinced.
“If there is no penalty, it’s honestly very strange,” he added. “Then people will say he knows the rules better than anyone else, but I don’t think so. He just had a lot of luck.
“For me, he shouldn’t win the race, but we’ll see what the stewards decide. He took a big risk, otherwise he would have come in one lap too late.
“Maybe he would still have been faster than the others, but without winning. Because to win or be on the podium, you had to pit one lap earlier.
“I think he shouldn’t win this race because his decision was already made: ‘I’ll maybe come in next lap’. Then he crashes and says, ‘OK, I’ll go into the pits’. Normally, that shouldn’t be possible.”
Marquez’s victory allowed him to close to within 24 points of championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.
Additional reporting by Téha Courbon
Photos from Spanish GP - Saturday
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing garage
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing garageGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Aprilia Racing bike detail
Aprilia Racing bike detailGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamJose Breton - Pics Action - NurPhoto - Getty Images
Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing
Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Jack Miller, Pramac Racing
Jack Miller, Pramac RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Joan Mir, Honda HRC
Joan Mir, Honda HRCPierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP Via Getty Images
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing
Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing
Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Luca Marini, Honda HRC
Luca Marini, Honda HRCGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing bike detail
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing bike detailGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Aprilia Racing bike detail
Aprilia Racing bike detailGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Joan Mir, Honda HRC
Joan Mir, Honda HRCGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Augusto Fernandez, Pramac Racing
Augusto Fernandez, Pramac RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Jack Miller, Pramac Racing
Jack Miller, Pramac RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech 3
Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech 3Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing
Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini Racing crash
Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini Racing crashGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Team
Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech 3
Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech 3Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Diogo Moreira, Team LCR Honda crash
Diogo Moreira, Team LCR Honda crashGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda TeamJose Breton - Pics Action - NurPhoto - Getty Images
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamJose Breton - Pics Action - NurPhoto - Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda TeamJose Breton - Pics Action - NurPhoto - Getty Images
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Gemma Pinto
Gemma PintoJose Breton - Pics Action - NurPhoto - Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamJose Breton - Pics Action - NurPhoto - Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda TeamJose Breton - Pics Action - NurPhoto - Getty Images
Bike of Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Bike of Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamJose Breton - Pics Action - NurPhoto - Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team, Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team, Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team, Luca Marini, Honda HRC
Johann Zarco, LCR Honda Team, Luca Marini, Honda HRCGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Jack Miller, Pramac Racing
Jack Miller, Pramac RacingGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamPierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP Via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamPierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP Via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamPierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP Via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Joan Mir, Honda HRC
Joan Mir, Honda HRCGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Joan Mir, Honda HRC
Joan Mir, Honda HRCGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Marc Marquez, Ducati TeamGold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
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