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Marquez apologised to Bastianini for strange MotoGP Dutch GP qualifying crash

Factory Ducati MotoGP rider Enea Bastianini has shrugged off being hit from behind by Marc Marquez during qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix and revealed that the Honda rider apologised.

The Italian wasn’t angry about the incident in Q1, which took place well off the racing line, where Bastianini was trying to stay out of the way after aborting his lap due to a mistake.

Marquez was on a similar line and failed to spot the cruising Ducati in time to avoid ploughing into the back of it.

Bastianini revealed that the Spaniard had sought him out to apologise following the accident, which resulted in Marquez falling. Bastianini managed to remain in the saddle, but could only qualify 18th.

"At Turn 1, I nearly lost the front – it was a good save!" he explained.

"Then at Turn 4 I saw the other riders coming from behind and I made space [for them]. I was on the outside, and Marc was with me.

"It can happen, MotoGP is like this. After qualifying he came to my motorhome to say sorry."

Marquez, who walked away from the crash, qualified 17th and ended the sprint race in the same position.

The factory Honda man has admitted to taking a safety-first approach in Holland after his wretched weekend last time out in Germany, during which he picked up multiple injuries in accidents. This explained his going against the grain by taking a soft front tyre for the sprint, an option he admitted wasn’t as quick but one which gave him maximum feedback.

Explaining the crash with Bastianini, he said: "It’s just like on the road. The person hitting from behind is the one who made the mistake.

Source: Autosport

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