Marco Bezzecchi receives double penalty for his collision with Marc Marquez in Indonesia – How he explains the incident and what he plans to do in Australia
After his crash and collision with Marc Marquez at the Indonesian Grand Prix, Marco Bezzecchi spoke in detail about the incident for the first time on Thursday at Phillip Island, where MotoGP is racing this weekend.
The Italian was given a double long-lap penalty for the collision, which injured Marquez. This was recently announced by race officials.
At the media day for the Australian Grand Prix, the Aprilia rider was self-critical but also determined to look ahead. When asked about his own fitness, he revealed: “I feel good. I’m in some pain, especially in my back, but when you see how the crash was, that’s understandable.”
He hit his back hard on impact, but never lost consciousness. “No, no, I was conscious the whole time. I stayed on the ground because I couldn’t breathe due to the impact, especially in my back. I just waited until I could breathe again,” the Italian explained in retrospect.
Bezzecchi: I didn’t want to overtake Marc
Regarding the cause of the accident, Bezzecchi emphasizes that he had no intention of attacking Marquez: “I didn’t want to overtake. I took the corner a little tighter, but I didn’t expect him to brake so hard at the entrance to the corner. That was my mistake. I was behind him and misjudged it.”
He tried to straighten up the bike to brake harder, but it was too late. “I was just a little too fast,” admits the Aprilia rider. “Luckily, I only lightly touched the rear of his bike.”
The problem that ultimately led to Marquez’s injury was the gravel trap: “The drop there was so high. If it hadn’t been for that, the consequences for him and for me would have been much less severe. The gravel trap destroyed my body,” Bezzecchi criticizes the track layout.
When asked whether asphalt would have been better than gravel at this point, the Italian nevertheless responds cautiously: “I don’t know. Ask them. When we riders say something, they always say we want the gravel trap. So I don’t know. But maybe they’ll improve something after this accident.”
The race stewards’ verdict was not announced until Australia
The fact that the decision on a penalty was not made until this Thursday is also due to the fact that the race organizers were only now able to speak to Bezzecchi personally about the incident. “The meeting with the stewards was fine. I met them this morning,” reveals the 26-year-old.
“In the end, the penalty is what it is. I have to accept it. We riders always want less, but that’s the way it is. I accept the penalty and will still do my best.”
Despite the pain and the double long-lap penalty, Bezzecchi wants to approach the weekend in Australia with a positive attitude. “I can’t start the weekend in a bad mood. I have to try to make the best of it – on Sunday, but also on Friday and Saturday.”
“Hopefully my body will respond better day by day, because this track is super fast and quite physically demanding. The temperatures help a bit because it’s cool. That’s bad for the pain, but good for endurance.”
Even though the aftermath of the crash and the penalty will play a role this weekend, Bezzecchi draws confidence from his recent performance. In Indonesia, he was particularly strong in Sector 2, which is very fast and fluid – similar to Phillip Island. “That gives me confidence.”
