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The Aragon weekend left Alex Marquez with a bitter taste in his mouth after he ended up inthe gravel following the divisive and much-discussed about incident with Bagnaia. Ducati's reigning world champion spared no harsh words to reporters about his brandmate, pointing a finger at the Spanish rider in no uncertain terms and with data at hand. So, in the days that followed, the physical pain added to the media pillory, between those who agreed with the Spanish rider and those who instead accused him of having consciously caused the accident Madness.
It was in this situation on Thursday at Misano that Bagnaia officially apologized. While not changing his mind about his version of the events, he admitted that he had been hard on his Spanish colleague. The frustration of the moment, words uttered after being dragged by two 150kg bikes, was also understandable. Alex Marquez thanked Bagnaia for his gesture of peace, although late, in his opinion: "It damaged my image," he told reporters after three hellish days during which the Spanish rider was forced to clarify his position on social media regarding the incident. And when asked about his biggest regret, Alex has no doubt: having missed his brother Marc's return to victory.
"I'm fine, even if I'm not one-hundred percent," Alex Marquez stated a few days after the accident with Pecco in Aragon. "It's not easy to recover in just three days. I'm pretty banged up, and I've come from several hours of physiotherapy, but I think I'll be back in full shape to face this weekend.
Pecco apologized for his harsh words to you in the heat of the moment after the incident you were involved in at Aragon.
"I appreciate him apologizing. The last few days haven't been easy to deal with. I thank him for his words on the matter. However, it's also true that, by now, the damage to me, my team, and my sporting image has been done. That said, Iìd like to close this chapter, turn the page, and look forward."
Why do you think he waited to apologize?
"I don't know. You should ask him. He said he realized it as early as Sunday, but he still decided to wait. The damage of the next three days was done."
You mentioned the damage done, but the episode also brought a lot of visibility.
"It depends on your point of view. That's the way things are now, although I don't think episodes like that are good for sports in general."
Still, it is an apology from a world champion.
"Shouldn't a champion do that? For me, it's irrelevant whether he's a champion or not. First of all, we're brand mates. I thank him for the words. Now, let's close this chapter and focus on this race weekend."
At the end of the Aragon weekend, what was your dominant emotion?
"The sadness. The sadness of going down in a race where we could've been fighting for the podium. I was even more so after seeing Marc win," the Spanish rider admitted, referring to Marc's return to victory and the impossibility of sharing that moment with him.
But your expectations for Misano are positive.
"We're coming from a weekend in Aragon that, until the accident, had been very positive, so expectations are good. Also, it's the home GP for the Gresini team. We'll have the hospitality full of guests, and the mood in general is very positive, so this will help. We need results, and we'll have to keep our concentration high. Last year wasn't an easy race. It's not a circuit that perfectly suits my riding style."
