Crash whilst leading at Misano was a potentially decisive turning point for Marco Bezzecchi in the title race, but giving up is out of the question for him
Aprilia factory rider Marco Bezzecchi suffered what could prove to be a decisive setback in the 2026 MotoGP title race last Sunday at the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano. His crash whilst leading, right on the first lap of the race in front of his home crowd – coupled with a victory for Ducati factory rider Marc Marquez – has now left him facing an incredibly difficult task for the remainder of the season.
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg this coming weekend, Bezzecchi – who had led the World Championship standings for much of the first half of the season – now trails both Marc Marquez and his own Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin by 33 points.
However, giving up is out of the question for Bezzecchi. He emphasised this even after his disastrous crash in mid-July at the Sachsenring. The crash, in which he injured his shoulder and knee, occurred during qualifying. As a result, ‘Bez’ had to miss both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in Germany and undergo surgery in Italy instead.
Two months on, the knee injury in particular is still causing him problems. However, handing the 2026 World Championship title to Marquez or Martin at this stage is not an option for Bezzecchi.
When asked on Sunday how he was feeling physically following the Misano crash, he replied straight away: “What I can say is that my shoulder is in perfect condition. My knee still hurts a bit, but I don’t think that’s down to this crash here.”
Bezzecchi takes a determined view of the World Championship battle. “After seven races, you’re not a contender – not even after 14. There are still plenty of races to go. I certainly didn’t feel, after seven Grands Prix, that I already had one hand on the title. And I’m sure that not even Marc is thinking about that.”
“If I hadn’t wanted this sort of pressure, I would have worked in my dad’s repair shop” 🔧
Bez refuses to back down 💪#SanMarinoGP 🇸🇲 pic.twitter.com/KZtWInSNaK
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) 14 September 2026
“Marc is, of course, someone with experience. He’s very fast and isn’t an easy opponent – neither is Martin. That’s clear. But if it were easy, anyone could do it. If I didn’t want that pressure, I’d have been working in my father’s workshop. Instead, I’m trying to be a racing driver. That’s just part of the job,” said Bezzecchi.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t go as we’d hoped,” said “Bez”, alluding to his bitter crash at Misano, before looking ahead: “We must now try to put what happened behind us. We need to try and take the positives from the weekend as a whole. The good thing is that we’re moving straight on to Austria. Let’s roll up our sleeves and try to give it our best shot.”