Marquez Slapped with Long Lap Penalty After US GP Sprint Incident
Marc Marquez has been handed a significant penalty, a long-lap grid penalty, for his role in a dramatic opening-lap collision during the US Grand Prix sprint race. The incident at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) saw both Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio crash out of contention for podium places.
The clash occurred as Marquez attempted to reclaim third position from di Giannantonio at the conclusion of the back straight. However, his braking point proved too late for the tight Turn 12, leading to a fall that collected the unsuspecting Italian rider. Stewards swiftly deemed Marquez responsible for the collision, and the penalty will be served in the upcoming Grand Prix race.
The official statement from the stewards outlined the reasons for the penalty: “On 28th March 2026 at 15:13:58 during the MotoGP Sprint of the RED BULL GRAND PRIX OF THE UNITED STATES at Turn 12 you caused a crash, involving rider #49. This contravenes the specific instructions given to MotoGP competitors and teams. It is therefore an infringement of Article 1.21.2 of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Regulations.”
The sanction imposed is a Long Lap Penalty, to be served in the next Championship Grand Prix race, in accordance with relevant FIM regulations. This specific incident was classified under the “START OF THE RACE / OPENING LAP” category, specifically for actions creating a dangerous situation for multiple riders or causing a crash. Given it was a first offense of the season, occurring on the opening lap, and without wider consequences to other riders, the stewards determined the Long Lap Penalty to be the appropriate measure.
A Heated Battle for Third
Prior to the incident, the sprint race had already seen a spirited contest for third place. Polesitter di Giannantonio had initially lost ground to Francesco Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta at the start. Marquez seized the opportunity to move into third, but di Giannantonio fought back valiantly through Turn 7 to regain the position.
In his eagerness to gain an advantage, Marquez executed a bold divebomb manoeuvre into Turn 12. Unfortunately, his inability to stop the bike in time for the sharp left-hander resulted in his crash. Di Giannantonio, having nowhere to evade, was caught in the fallout and went down with Marquez, effectively ending the hopes of two leading riders for a strong finish.
The VR46 rider managed to remount his factory-spec Ducati and rejoined the track at the very back of the field. However, his race was short-lived, as he retired just two laps later. Marquez, meanwhile, rejoined the race a lap down and ultimately finished in 17th place, outside of any points-scoring positions.
Echoes of Past Battles
This contentious encounter at COTA was not the first time Marquez and di Giannantonio had been involved in close racing this season. The Brazilian Grand Prix weekend had already witnessed two intense duels between the pair. At the Goiania sprint, Marquez narrowly denied di Giannantonio a victory after the latter made a late error. Di Giannantonio, however, exacted his revenge the following day, beating Marquez to third place in the main Grand Prix.
Acosta Also Penalised
In separate news from the US GP, rising star Pedro Acosta also faced a penalty, though for a different infraction. The KTM rider fell foul of technical regulations after his machine failed to meet the minimum tyre pressure requirements during the sprint race.
Following standard procedure, eight seconds were added to Acosta’s race time. This adjustment saw him demoted to eighth place in the revised sprint classification. The biggest beneficiary of this penalty was Enea Bastianini, Acosta’s Tech3 stablemate. Bastianini inherited the final podium spot, finishing third behind race winner Jorge Martin of Aprilia and second-placed Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati.
