Marco Bezzecchi believes the one-race ban he received for hitting a marshal in Brno was fair, despite his team Aprilia unsuccessfully appealing the stewards’ decision to seek a more lenient penalty.
The championship leader received a big blow last Saturday when he learned that he would not be allowed to take part in the Czech Grand Prix for what the stewards described as unsportsmanlike behaviour.
This was the most severe penalty issued in any of the three grand prix classes since Deniz Oncu was suspended from two Moto3 races in 2021 for causing a major collision at the start of the Austin event.
Aprilia even lodged an appeal following the sanction, which the stewards immediately threw out, and team boss Massimo Rivola continued to argue after the race that the penalty was too harsh, even as he was willing to accept that a new precedent had been set.
In his first interview since the most controversial moment of his MotoGP career, Bezzecchi again apologised for the altercation and insisted that he wanted to use the penalty as a lesson in his career.
Asked how he felt when he was informed about the news, the Italian said: “I completely understood. I think the penalty was right and I accepted everything.
“I understood and I tried to take this as an opportunity to be better as a person, but in general, I think it was okay. “
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Bezzecchi was seen slapping a marshal who had accidentally revved his stricken motorcycle while trying to lift it off the gravel.
The incident took place after the 27-year-old crashed out of the penultimate lap of the sprint while running inside the top five.
Bezzecchi admitted that it wasn’t easy for him to accept that he would have to miss a race for the first time since stepping up to the premier class in 2022, even though he agreed with the decision.
“It’s a moment that I want to use as a lesson. But I already had a lesson immediately when they told me the decision. This is why I think it was the correct one,” he said.
“Of course, it was not easy to accept. We are riders and we want to ride, but in the end, it’s like this. So, of course, it’s an opportunity to grow and to try to improve in everything, in every aspect, also in terms of riding.
“So, it will be hopefully something that can really help me.”
The apology offered a “very beautiful moment”
Bezzecchi said he immediately realised he had done something wrong as he returned to the Aprilia garage after the sprint, but he was unsure how the stewards would judge his actions.
“Of course, I expected to get a sanction because it’s a gesture that you don’t have to do,” he said.
“I also waited a bit to go to say sorry to the marshal because I didn’t want to make people think that going straight away to say sorry was a way to avoid the penalty.
“So, I waited until the penalty was confirmed to go there and say a sincere apology to him for my mistake.
“Of course, we spoke a bit, we cried both and [the incident] was a bad moment. [The apology] was a very beautiful moment for me, where I took away a lot of weight from my body.
“But I expected immediately to get a penalty. I didn’t know which one, but in the end, it was that one, and it was okay.”
Asked if the Brno weekend marked the most difficult moment of his career, he added: “I don’t know, because now it’s still fresh, so it’s difficult to analyse it by a clear reference.
“So, I will try to just move on and go on the bike.”
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