SUZUKI factory rider Alex Rins has blasted five-time MotoGP World Championship for the lack of respect he shows fellow MotoGP riders after the pair came to blows during qualifying for the Czech Republic MotoGP at Brno.
Occurring during the early stages of the damp session, Marquez and Rins appeared to get crossed up with one another as they moved around to find grip, a misunderstanding that led to the two making contact and leading to the international language of WTF in hand gestures.
The fracas wasn’t quite over though as Marquez and Rins toured into the pit-lane almost side-by-side into a bottleneck. Whilst Rins clearly expected Marquez to yield, the Honda rider anticipated Rins would shift over… neither of which happened.
Instead, Marquez gave Rins a push to let him know he was there, the Texas MotoGP race winner brushing him off but leaving just enough room for his countryman to get by and not vault over the barrier.
If you are lucky enough to have a subscription with MotoGP.com you can view the rough and tumble in HD glory here. Alternatively, if you can ignore the eerie soundtrack layered over this – or select mute – then watch below.
"He has no respect for the other riders..."
When quizzed about the exchange, Rins – who qualified sixth – didn’t hold back, criticising Marquez for an attitude he says has been borne from being at the top of the sport for so long.
"It's a tricky thing because for sure [Marc] is now one step in front of everybody. He put the slick tyres and he was super-fast. But I think he has no respect for the other riders. He is riding on his way," Rins is quoted by our sister publication Crash.net.
"I will explain to you what happened: On Corner 5, he went a little bit wide and behind him was Miller and me. When he went wide, he looked back and saw Jack and me. Jack passed him, but then he went back onto the line and sincerely he disturbed me. I was pushing. I was not super-fast, but I was pushing.
"So on the next left corner I tried to do my line. He opened a little a bit the door and I go in. I touched him, but I think it's his fault; if he is riding slow he needs to open the door and that's it.
"But anyway, then on the last corner he braked super-hard to overtake me [back]. Then when we were coming into the box I was in front of him and I go straight and he has no space to go by my side. If I was him, I would cut the gas…
"Marc loves to play this game and try to get in the head of other riders. But in my case I'm really calm. I just tell the truth and that's it.
Asked if he thought he needed to try and get into Marquez's head, Rins responded: "No, I don't think so…. For sure if I'm fighting for the world championship with him I will try to do something, but he's 80 points in front of me - maybe he's scared, I don't know!"
"I don't know if it was intentional [to almost run me into the wall]..." - Marc Marquez
Marquez was later also asked about the incident and he played it down initially, saying:
“I ran wide at Turn 5 and Jack overtook me because I checked behind and I only saw him, so I tried to follow Jack because I know he had good pace. Then I went a bit too wide and there was a small space, but enough and [Rins] ran into me…"
“The funny thing was when we entered the box and the tyre wall was there [in front of me] and I didn’t have the space [to get through] because he was going that way.I don’t know if that was intentional or not, but for me it wasn’t important.â€
However, when he was – in true school playground style - informed of Rins’ ‘no respect’ jibe by a journalist, it drew a rather sheepish – perhaps even hurt – recoil in his seat before Marquez reapplied his game face to respond. “Of course I don’t agree with this, it is his opinion. I lose zero time on these sort of things.â€
Well, at least Marc still has his brother Alex to be pally with…
