What Simon Crafar told Neil Hodgson after Marc Marquez’s Jerez sprint win

Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images Stewards had a long, hard look at Marquez’s Jerez sprint win Simon Crafar mentioned to Neil Hodgson that MotoGP stewards took a detailed look to see if Marc Marquez had broken any rules during his win in the Jerez Sprint. Marquez’s second Sprint Race win of the 2026 season came last week at the Spanish Grand Prix. But it stirred up debate after he cut across the grass at the final corner on his way to pit following a crash.

The Ducati rider stayed out behind his brother, Alex Marquez, as rain began to fall over Angel Nieto circuit. But conditions worsened quickly, and he lost the front end of his GP26 while turning in. Marquez reacted by grabbing the clutch to keep the engine running and waited for other riders who hadn’t yet pitted before cutting across the track.

But many fans felt it should have resulted in a penalty. Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images Simon Crafar tells Neil Hodgson he checked if Marc Marquez broke any rules in the Jerez Sprint win LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco was also caught off guard by the lack of punishment, saying Marquez should have completed another lap before heading to pit lane. In contrast, Aprilia’s Jorge Martin called it “amazing” that Marquez could still win after a crash.

No penalty came because Marquez hadn’t technically broken any rules. The defining white lines for track limits and pit entry aren’t the same at Jerez’s final corner, creating a situation where his move wasn’t punishable under current guidelines. Crafar, chair of the FIM MotoGP Steward Panel, later explained to Hodgson that they had reviewed everything carefully before confirming no rule had been violated.