Marc Marquez says MotoGP was fortunate the hole that developed at the Goiania circuit did not extend onto the racing line, allowing the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint to go ahead after repairs.
Saturday’s half-distance for the Brazilian Grand Prix was put in jeopardy when riders spotted a hole on the start/finish straight after qualifying.
Several workers arrived on the scene and had to cut open a section of the asphalt, before carrying out repair work to allow track action to resume.
The start of the sprint was repeatedly delayed, and it eventually got under way 80 minutes behind schedule, while the Moto2 qualifying was pushed back to Sunday morning.
Despite some concerns, the sprint was completed without any issues, with riders easily avoiding the repaired surface over 15 laps of racing in dry-weather conditions.
Factory Ducati rider Marquez said that MotoGP admitted that the situation could have been more serious had the damage appeared on the racing line.
“We prayed to keep the conditions like this. That hole is out of the line so for that reason we were able to race,” he told TNT Sport after beating VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio to victory.
“It’s true that they did an amazing job, but we prayed that the hole didn’t go on the racing line because if not, it would be impossible [to race].”
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Speaking to the media after the sprint, he added: “These are things that happen at new circuits. They built this circuit in a year – ten months, actually – and they did a really good job.”
The start time for the sprint was deferred thrice, with an initial 20-minute postponement followed by further delays, before the action finally got underway at 4:20pm local time.
Marquez admitted that the repeated delays disrupted his preparations for the sprint and left him annoyed at one stage.
“It’s true that there was a moment when I got a bit annoyed with the decisions they were making, because for a rider, it’s not easy to get ready, relax, get ready again, get pumped up, relax again – doing that three times over,” he said.
“We have our rituals, we have our specific ways of warming up, and that’s one of the things we need to improve upon going forward.
“However, it is true that the situation we faced was exceptional, and we managed to salvage the championship round in the best possible way.”
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
KTM’s Pedro Acosta said he was surprised that the race was able to go ahead at all given the circumstances.
“Honestly, it’s already a lot that we managed to do the sprint race, even if it was delayed by more than an hour. It’s already a lot that we raced,” he said.
“I’ve never seen a hole appear at a circuit before, and even less in MotoGP. It seems a bit too much to me.”
Aprilia’s Jorge Martin, however, downplayed the issue after scoring his first podium since his 2024 title win, saying it was easy for MotoGP riders to avoid riding over the crater on the start/finish straight.
“It’s not easy to keep your concentration for more than one and a half hours later. I was just doing my routine again, same as I did before.
“They solved it. I didn’t even see it. I think it was out of the track [racing line]. We can go racing with a hole, because it’s not on the racing line, so for us MotoGP riders, we can manage.”
Pramac’s Jack Miller added that the hole was so far off the racing line that it was very unlikely for a rider to run over it.
“f you end up over there, you’re doing something severely wrong. They did what they could and got us racing again, so we got on,” he said. “Clearly the foundation wasn’t there beneath the asphalt.”
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