Alex Marquez was airlifted to hospital with a fractured neck vertebra and broken collarbone following a high-speed collision during the Catalan Grand Prix that required two red flags before Fabio di Giannantonio could claim victory.
The Gresini Racing rider suffered what his team described as a “marginal fracture of his C7” and a “right clavicle fracture” after colliding with the rear of Pedro Acosta’s stricken KTM on lap 12 of what should have been a 24-lap encounter at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Acosta had been leading when his machine suddenly lost power on the main straight, leaving the Spaniard frantically attempting to warn following riders of the danger.
Running in second place, Marquez had insufficient time to avoid the slowing KTM and struck Acosta’s bike before his own Ducati launched into a terrifying sequence of cartwheels through the air.
Medical crews rushed to attend Marquez, who remained conscious throughout but was immediately transported via ambulance.
Gresini Racing later confirmed the extent of his injuries, stating that the collarbone break will be stabilised with a plate during surgery scheduled for Sunday, whilst the neck fracture requires ongoing medical evaluation.
The incident triggered the first of two race stoppages. When racing resumed, Johann Zarco became entangled in his machine during another serious accident, prompting officials to halt proceedings once more. The Frenchman was subsequently taken to hospital for assessment of a left leg injury.
Di Giannantonio, despite being struck by debris during the initial Marquez incident, demonstrated remarkable composure to restart and ultimately secure his first MotoGP victory. The Italian crossed the line ahead of Joan Mir and Fermin Aldeguer when the race finally concluded at the third attempt.
“Today has not been an easy day for everybody. I really hope that Alex is fine,” Di Giannantonio reflected after his breakthrough triumph.
“We’ve been really lucky. We know that our sport is amazing. We try to give an amazing show, but also we are humans and we are in danger. So I really hope that everybody is safe.”
