Bezzecchi case: sparks fly in the Aprilia garage, Rivola backtracks

The Bezzecchi case captured all the attention at the Brno Grand Prix. The gesture by the Aprilia rider is unprecedented in MotoGP history, and Noale’s top brass made a serious mistake: filing an appeal. A few hours later, CEO Massimo Rivola tried to course-correct in a weekend to forget for the men of the Veneto brand.

The 2026 World Championship started off brilliantly for Aprilia’s riders, but tensions rose sharply with the arrival of the European rounds. First the two red flags at Montmeló, then the massive crash at the start of the Hungarian GP, triggered by a mistake from Jorge Martin at Turn 1. On that occasion, the 2024 MotoGP champion took out two brand-mates: Fernandez and Bezzecchi. On the matter, Massimo Rivola commented: "Jorge made a mistake unworthy of a world champion." The Madrid rider was determined to clear the air with his garage mate and with Rivola, while stressing the need to keep the group united: "If we’re against each other, it’s like shooting ourselves in the foot; it makes no sense. We have to be smart."

Another controversy opened up for Aprilia at Brno, this time in the other corner of the garage. Marco crashed in Saturday’s Sprint race and had a heated altercation with a track marshal. Race Direction rightly decided to disqualify him for the rest of the Grand Prix, forcing him to sit out Sunday’s race. The Veneto manufacturer filed an appeal, promptly rejected, while remaining silent in the face of the penalty handed to ‘Martinator’...

Rivola condemned Bezzecchi’s unsporting behavior, but it’s clear he didn’t do so with the same tact he used when speaking about Martin’s mistake in Hungary. Hence Jorge’s words after today’s race in Brno, considering that what his teammate did is unprecedented in MotoGP. "If something like that were ever to happen, my team should defend me, just as it did with him." It should be noted, however, that last year’s rift between the Madrid-born rider and Aprilia somewhat undermined the relationship between the two parties. Not to mention that the Spaniard has long since signed a contract with Yamaha for 2027 (while Bezzecchi was reconfirmed even before the start of the championship).

After the Brno stop, ‘Bez’ is still leading the overall standings with 180 points, but his rivals are closing in. Race retirements are unforgiving, and that’s what has brought Martin to an 8-point gap, Di Giannantonio to 23, and Marc Marquez to -40. Aprilia is now under pressure, with Rivola trying to patch things up after the failed appeal. "First of all, we also apologize to the race marshal. The sanction is unquestionable in terms of severity, in the sense that we cannot tolerate such a gesture. The reason we filed an appeal is that in the past, far less serious incidents were treated with excessive leniency. So our intention was to see him still race, perhaps with a hefty fine, but following a criterion similar to the one previously applied. That criterion was not used this time, and that’s fine."

There’s an attempt to make sense of Marco Bezzecchi’s reaction, worried about his RS-GP after the crash. "If you look at the footage, he wasn’t walking calmly. He started running when he saw the engine hitting the rev limiter, because the wheel was spinning exactly at 165 km/h. Imagine if the marshal had lifted the bike, where we would have ended up picking it up from... Aside from that, his gesture is unacceptable, that’s all. His reaction is typical of someone who sees the scene and thinks: ‘What’s happening to my bike?’, perceiving a dangerous situation. But I repeat, the reaction is unacceptable."

The Ducati–Aprilia duel now heats up, with the Borgo Panigale brand clawing back ground after a difficult start. The Hungarian GP also teaches something to the Noale engineer. "I believe that I, too, in my role, have room to improve in managing the riders, even if I prefer to be as I am, with real riders, real people, who react emotionally. The reaction was wrong. But at the same time, these are riders who put something extra on the line—their heart, not just their head."

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