Marc Marquez has stated, "I accept it and I'm keeping quiet," regarding his late-course collision with Fabio di Giannantonio at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen on June 28, 2026. The factory Ducati rider was attacked by di Giannantonio of VR46 Racing Team six laps from the start as they entered the final chicane; the two riders made contact at the apex of the corner, sending Marquez flying into the gravel trap.
Details of the collision and the criminal process.
After the contact, Marquez lost momentum and fell behind both his brother, Gresini driver Alex Marquez, and di Giannantonio, dropping to sixth place. Di Giannantonio, despite cutting the chicane, received a long lap penalty from the race stewards for not giving back the advantage he had gained; this penalty relegated him to sixth place. However, after serving his penalty, the Italian driver overtook the Marquez brothers and returned to fourth place, leaving his final position unchanged.
Marquez said the following regarding the incident: 'It was a racing incident — and the Race Management also assessed it as such, as di Giannantonio was penalized not for contact but for interrupting the chicane. We accept the decision. It was a racing incident, that's all. I accept it, I remain silent and I continue racing, nothing more.'‘
A moment reminiscent of Rossi's memory from 2015, and the final ranking.
The collision brought to mind Marquez's 2015 incident on the same track and section where he dived inside Valentino Rossi's Yamaha on his then-Honda motorcycle, resulting in contact between the two riders. In that race, Rossi won by going over the gravel, while Marquez finished second; Race Management also considered that incident a race accident. When the parallel was pointed out, Marquez responded jokingly: "At least I did a chicane turn in 2015!"‘
Marquez, having lost his second battle with Di Giannantonio, crossed the finish line in sixth place; however, due to retiring on the final lap, he was dropped a place to seventh. Tech3 driver Enea Bastianini finished ahead of Marquez. The 33-year-old Spaniard, who finished 10 seconds behind winner Ai Ogura, had made it his main goal to escape the crash in Assen after two consecutive victories at Balaton Park and Brno.
Marquez shared his pre-race expectations: 'When I stepped onto the track, I knew I would finish sixth, seventh, or eighth. Looking at the race, one could say the maximum was fifth, but in the end, we finished seventh. The good thing is that we got through the Netherlands without any injuries; that was my main goal.'‘
Tire choice and physical limitations
Marquez, the only front-row driver remaining in the race, opted for a soft rear tire instead of a hard one; this decision was made with his team just before the start. Marquez attributed his choice to his physical condition: 'I don't have the physical condition to maintain the tire's maximum potential on every lap. Therefore, I thought I would drive slowly and apply pressure with single-lap bursts; and for single-lap pressure, the soft rear was better.' Marquez added that the changes in direction between left and right corners in Assen were the most challenging areas for him, emphasizing that his rivals also attacked at precisely these points.