02/03/2026

‘It was like I hit a big rock’

Marc Marquez has put his exit from the Thai Grand Prix with a flat tyre down to bad luck.

The Spaniard went off the circuit just a few laps from the end of the race, explaining that this was a conscious attempt to avoid falling as he adopted a safety-first approach.

While crossing the kerb onto the asphalt run-off area would not usually have any technical consequences, it bit the nine-time world champion on this occasion.

«I was riding in a safe way, but I was unlucky,» Marquez told media post-race. «Because I jumped that kerb a hundred times in the [pre-race] test, for example.

«[It was the same] during the practice. And it never happened, what happened now. Because normally those kerbs are made so that you can jump out in a good way.

«But when I jumped out, I felt already that the rear tyre exploded. With a big hit also on the rear.

«Normally we jump out many times on the double kerbs. But this time when I jumped out, there was like a big rock there. And it destroyed and exploded my rear tyre.»

Marc Marquez’s tyre problem was definitely terminal

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Marquez, who is still recovering from injuries sustained in last year’s Indonesian Grand Prix, underlined that he was trying to avoid falling.

«In the mid-corner I already felt the rear slide a bit. More than usual.

«The tyre was [worn] also… and then I saw that I was forcing the bike too much. And I said, ‘Okay, I don’t want to take any risks. Even if I lose time, I will jump [off] the track and I will jump in again.’.

«But that [safe approach] today was not the best decision. Because I think I was fully unlucky to destroy the rear.»

Marquez was running fourth at the time of the incident after a smooth and conservative race. He said he might have been able to deliver more over the final laps.

«P4 was certain. [Being] optimistic, P3. And why not P2?»