Mark Marquez suffered from one of the toughest days from a physical standpoint as a factory Ducati rider in Motog in the Netherlands on Friday, crashing twice on high.
Marquez crashed at the opening minute of FP1 on turn 15. He crashed on high edge as he broke into a fast left-hander before the final Sicane.
He then felt pain in his left hand and elbow, but returned to the top of the session 0.313 seconds before Maverick Vinall.
In fact, the MotoGP’s six-time world champion crashed again on the final time attack, extending a low distance at turn 7 and sliding long distances through gravel.
After the second collision, Marquez was taken to a medical center where he was allowed to ride on Saturday after suffering serious injuries.
“Of course, physically, about two big crashes, that’s not an easy day for my body,” Mark Marquez told Motogp.com after Friday practice in the Netherlands.
“But apart from that, I’m lucky because it’s not important.”
He explained the physical damage: “Of course, yes, that won’t be a problem the next day. I believe it. I’ll check it out tomorrow when I wake up.”
Marquez added that the size of Assen’s gravel stone contributed to the physical pain he felt after the crash.
“The crash was fine, but when I arrived on the gravel, it hits quite a bit. Once there is an elbow, especially the face and fingers here,” he said.
“The rocks are super big. If you get there at that high speed, you’ll hit your body. On the second rock, there was a problem with the part and I was inhaling into the gravel.
Mark Marquez explains his crash in Motogue, Netherlands on Friday
Mark Marquez, 2025 Motogp Dutch TT. Credit: Gold and goose.
©Gold & Goose
Explaining the cause of the crash, Marquez felt strange from the moment he left the pit to FP1, but his practice crash was a direct result of the first crash as he crashed in FP1 and saved allocations.
“The first (crash) was a bit strange because I wasn’t really pushing. I went out of the box and I felt it was very slippery and actually crashed there,” said the Ducati Lenovo team rider.
“The second was a result, but it was a time attack, but it wasn’t enough to keep the tires for tomorrow, so I made a time attack with the front tire that crashed this morning.
“So it was a mix of things that were too big, especially on this racetrack, and for me, the rocks were too big.
Despite the crash, Marquez progressed to the second quarter for Saturday’s qualifying session and showed a decent pace on Friday.
“Apart from these two crashes, I know the reason for both of them, so I feel I’m fine,” he said.
“Because the fact that we are here in Assen is a very good sign for us.”