Neil Hodgson says FIM stewards were right to punish Marc Marquez for his controversial tackle on Pedro Acosta during the Thai Grand Prix sprint.
World champion ruler Marquez He lost the win in the first race of the season when the stewards ordered him to fall behind Acosta.
After a dramatic, back-and-forth battle between his 2027 teammates, Marquez tried to make a bold move. Acosta At the penultimate in the last corner.
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Márquez himself went wide and Acosta was sent out for a full tackle, prompting the stewards to punish him. The KTM rider took his first victory of any description at the start of the third MotoGP season.
Neil Hodgson says Mark Marquez was ‘too far behind’ in trying to land Pedro Acosta.
While Some MotoGP fans were not happy with Marquez’s punishmentsays TNT Sports expert Hodgson is completely fair.
If Márquez had been closer to the entrance of the corner, Acosta would have been able to cut under him. But the move was from a distance and the 21-year-old had to make an escape move.
While Hodgson said ‘no way’ the maneuver was legal, he at least acknowledged Marquez’s attack. In his eyes, that’s what makes the seven-time world champion so popular.
By Neil Hodgson Do you agree with Marc Marquez’s Thailand sprint penalty?
“It came from a long way off,” Hodgson said. TTT Post-race coverage. “When you look at it again, the pass is gone. Now if Acosta sat down, he could have cut under and cut away, but it bothered him, and because he tightened it up, it pushed him off the track.”
Too late, the problem is that by then Pedro is already committed.
“Here’s the shot, look, you can’t go past that, there’s no way, you’re at the absolute limit, look how wide the mark is there!
It’s about two bike lengths too far to try the move, but I like trying the move. That’s why we love Marc Marquez. That’s why we love competition. He leaves, and so does Pedro.
What did Marc Marquez say about the penalty?
Speaking at Park Firme, Marquez said he respects the stewards’ decision. Without a quick comment. After finishing second, he was still satisfied with his overall result.
#93 Politician Marco Bezecchi was hoping to take control of the race after going down, but Acosta made a surprise attack.
Marquez received no known penalties for wheel-to-wheel conduct last season. For the most part, he calmly led the races.
While the fans don’t want the races to be decided by the stewards, they’re at least hoping that Saturday’s impressive Sprint sets the tone for the rest of the season.
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