Bezzecchi under fire and Ducati a threat: Martin sounds the alarm

Aprilia heads to Assen aiming to put Brno behind them: both the incident involving Marco Bezzecchi, who left with zero points, and the factory team’s results, with Jorge Martin retiring from the Sprint and finishing only ninth in the race. The 2024 MotoGP champion comments on his teammate’s reaction toward the track marshal and urges everyone to stay vigilant against Ducati.

Still in the spotlight is Bezzecchi’s excessive reaction toward the marshal on Saturday at Brno. That unsporting gesture by the rider from Romagna continues to stir debate—something no one would have expected. A heat-of-the-moment “retaliation foul,” instinctive and fueled by adrenaline, but unjustifiable. The Sunday race disqualification was deserved, while the idea of appealing by the Noale manufacturer was poor. Marco literally lost his temper when the marshal unintentionally twisted the throttle of his RS-GP 26. But above all, he lost a large chunk of his points lead over his main title rivals: Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez.

The Madrid-born Aprilia rider commented on what happened during last Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint. "It’s hard to judge what someone does in the heat of the moment. I think after this penalty he won’t do it again. I know the marshals are there to help us, but sometimes, when you’ve had a crash and you see what you don’t want to see, you get angry."

All that’s left is to file the case away and focus on the Championship. After a blistering start to the MotoGP season, Aprilia seem to be feeling Ducati’s resurgence. Marc Marquez has won the last two Grands Prix and is threatening the top of the standings. ‘Martinator’ knew the championship was only just beginning and that the battle would intensify. "I think at that time we were neither the best, [and now] nor the worst. It’s just that we suffered for two races. Now we’re heading back to places that are more ‘Aprilia-style,’ I think, and I hope we’ll return to the level we once had."

After the double win at Le Mans and a strong showing at Mugello, it looked like at least an even fight between Aprilia and Ducati. At Brno, however, Jorge Martin painted a very different picture and listed the main issues with the Veneto prototype. "I have absolutely no confidence in the front wheel. I constantly feel like I could crash," said the 28-year-old Spaniard. "We’ve lost something. We’ve lost our direction. I don’t know why. But we have to figure it out."

His weaknesses are particularly evident in qualifying. Martin is usually considered one of the fastest riders on a single lap. But that’s exactly where he currently lacks confidence. "I don’t fully understand the bike’s limits," he concluded. "I constantly feel like I’m on the verge of crashing. In the race everything flows much more smoothly, but as soon as I push for one lap, I feel bad on the bike."

Martin identifies a fundamental problem in the fact that Aprilia has not yet found a universally effective base setup. Despite the season being well underway, the team is effectively starting from scratch on many race weekends. "I still don’t have a reference setup. On some circuits we use the Le Mans setup, but elsewhere it doesn’t work. The Le Mans bike was perfect for Le Mans, but only for Le Mans."

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