Bezzecchi Rear-Ends Him, Alex Marquez Gets Angry: What Happened at Phillip Island

A somewhat strange incident at Phillip Island, with the Aprilia rider causing contact with his Spanish counterpart and also bringing out a red flag. Here's what the protagonists had to say.

Marco Bezzecchi topped Friday's MotoGP practice in Australia and should be one of the weekend's favourites. However, conditions are likely to change on Saturday and Sunday, so being able to adapt to the possibility of rain will be crucial. When it comes to adapting, Marc Marquez is almost always the benchmark. He finished third today, 126 thousandths of a second behind the Aprilia rider, and is determined to leave Phillip Island at the top of the standings. He is currently second, two points behind Jorge Martin.

For Bezzecchi, this is a pivotal moment in his title campaign. He is third in the championship, 46 points behind his teammate. He will need to make up ground between Phillip Island and Sepang; otherwise, Aprilia may decide to focus solely on Martinator in the 2026 MotoGP title fight. The Noale-based manufacturer would rather not talk about "team orders" at this stage, but it may soon have to lay down a clear strategy to prevent Marquez and Ducati from ending the year as champions once again.

While waiting to see what conditions the rest of the weekend will bring, Bezzecchi did his best today. He also crashed during pre-qualifying. The Aprilia rider went down between Turns 4 and 5 after lightly clipping Alex Marquez just before Turn 4. The contact also sent pieces of his RS-GP26's fairing flying, bringing out the red flag and interrupting the practice session.

The stewards also investigated the incident, but ultimately decided not to take any action. Bezzecchi was at fault, but apparently there were no grounds for imposing any kind of penalty.

The rider from Romagna commented on the incident to Sky Sport MotoGP: "These things can happen. We were very close, and he braked at a point I wasn't expecting. I clipped him, then went onto the grass and slid out".

Alex Marquez also gave his account after appearing visibly angry at the time, which was understandable: "I was following my usual line - reports Motosan - at my normal pace. I think he intended to overtake me there because he was faster than me, but he misjudged it. Anyway, nothing serious, that's all. These things happen". No controversy, and rightly so.

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