
Leeds as good as safe? Thumping Burnley win opens nine-point gap to drop
Leeds United's 3-1 win over Burnley secures a nine-point gap from relegation.
Simon Crafar informed Neil Hodgson that MotoGP stewards closely examined Marc Marquez's Jerez sprint victory for potential rule violations. Marquez secured his second Sprint Race win of the 2026 season at the Spanish Grand Prix, raising concerns after he veered onto the grass following a crash.
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images
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.
Marquezâs 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 hadnât 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
LCR Hondaâs 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, Apriliaâs Jorge Martin called it âamazingâ that Marquez could still win after a crash.
No penalty came because Marquez hadnât technically broken any rules. The defining white lines for track limits and pit entry arenât the same at Jerezâs final corner, creating a situation where his move wasnât 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. Hodgson also called it âgeniusâ how Marquez found his way to victory.
Simon Crafar told Neil Hodgson that MotoGP stewards scrutinized Marc Marquez's Jerez sprint win for any rule breaches.
The controversy arose because Marquez cut across the grass at the final corner after crashing on his way to the pit.
Marc Marquez has secured two Sprint Race wins in the 2026 season.
MotoGP stewards conducted a detailed review to determine if Marc Marquez violated any rules during his race.

Leeds United's 3-1 win over Burnley secures a nine-point gap from relegation.
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âThere are rules for everything. And the stewards, I spoke to Simon, they had to have a really long, hard look through the book. And all the people that are paid decent money, all the experts, nobody could find one rule that that man broke.
âLook, you either like Marc or you donât. But you have to admire tenacity, skill, intelligence, the wherewithal, everything. I canât even think of the words.
âBut all the haters, I went on X, and I can see all the haters⊠So much hate. I know generally if people are angry or grumpy, theyâre more likely to post. But anyway, [there was] so much hate for Marc being a genius winning that race. I mean, it was incredible, wasnât it?â
This time around, no rules were broken by how things stand now. Even so, there is said to be growing recognition inside MotoGP that clearer guidelines may be needed after such a divisive outcome.
The situation exposed an ambiguous part of the current regulations and raised calls for clarification on proper pit entry protocolâespecially when conditions force creative solutions like what happened at Jerez.
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