Marco Bezzecchi: from having his hands on the world title to laying hands on a marshal

Marco Bezzecchi made a mistake. Period. There are no justifications, mitigating factors, ifs, buts, however, etcetera etcetera.

As debatable as the marshal’s action may be—having inadvertently blipped the throttle on the Aprilia RS-GP26 that had ended up in the run-off after the Sprint crash—the behavior of the rider from Viserba remains unjustifiable. Being the smart guy he is, the national “Bez” will be the first to be sorry for what happened. Likewise, the first to apologize, as soon as possible. In the meantime, the slap (because that’s what it was) dealt to the unfortunate marshal carries consequences across the board. From the standpoint of the rider’s image, of the company he represents (and, as a side note, Michele Colaninno is on site in Brno), with repercussions also in the strictly sporting sphere.

First and foremost, clarity is needed. Although Marco Bezzecchi is a repeat offender (in 2022 he shoved a marshal in Valencia and was fined €1,000), it doesn’t matter. The suspension from the Brno Grand Prix, as with any penalty imposed by the Stewards Panel, pertains to the current season. It’s not about repeat offenses, nor about precedents: from Fabio Quartararo at Le Mans 2025 (fine and a 10-minute suspension in the subsequent Silverstone FP1 for an altercation with marshals), to the “rascal” Niklas Ajo in 2012 (shoving and striking marshals and a fellow rider, Adrian Martin, resulting in race disqualifications). This year, the FIM, in plenary session and commission, made it clear that incidents that damage the image of the sport will not be overlooked. Harsh sanctions, as is right. The slap to a marshal falls under this classification.

This was reiterated by the stewards’ appeals panel when, late on Saturday evening, it rejected the appeal filed by Aprilia, with Massimo Rivola (CEO Aprilia Racing) and Paolo Bonora (Team Manager) heard after depositing €1,320 for the aforementioned appeal. “Although emotions run high following an incident or crash, such circumstances cannot justify or excuse a direct physical assault on track personnel performing their duties.” Adding that the suspension from the Brno GP is a sort of necessary act. “Failing to react appropriately to such conduct (by Marco Bezzecchi) would risk sending the wrong message to riders across the Championship and would be incompatible with the federation’s and organizer’s duty to protect officials, volunteers, and workers who contribute to the sport. Considering the seriousness of the conduct, the status of the persons involved as circuit safety officials, the need to maintain appropriate standards of behavior, and the need for both specific and general deterrence, the appeals stewards consider that the panel of stewards had the right to conclude that the rider’s actions constituted conduct prejudicial to the interests of the sport.”

In short: Bezzecchi’s slap to a marshal, confirmed by two different recordings (from the international MSEG feed, first aired by DAZN and TNT Sports, and later in the evening also by the Italian broadcaster Sky Sport for its TV reports), could not go without an exemplary sanction. A race ban may sound excessive, but elsewhere even harsher penalties are applied. On a national level, without naming names, a rider’s father (the rider was a minor) had his license revoked for 6 months for a heated argument with a race judge. For the record, it was the rider who was penalized, not the father. Therefore, the FIM, which drafted a detailed protocol at the start of 2026 on conduct on and off the track (covering even far more serious incidents and behaviors), could not fail to send and leave a message.

On the other hand, Aprilia Racing quite rightly filed an appeal. In their roles, Rivola and Bonora are obliged to defend the team’s interests and do what they can to improve their sporting situation. They will state their reasons, openly explain their point of view on what happened, but in procedural terms they could not have acted differently.

Also because, between the zero in the Sprint and the zero Bezzecchi will collect in the long race, the gap in the standings is narrowing. To take a rider whom the men in black often and willingly indicate as the favorite to win every race weekend, namely Marc Marquez, from the triumphant Mugello to Saturday in Brno, the lead has gone from 102 to 65 points in the standings. Exactly 37 points dropped in a short time. With Jorge Martin’s strike at the start in Balaton in the middle, but also because of Marco Bezzecchi’s incident. The Czech Republic may not prove decisive for the outcome of the 2026 world championship, but it could well be a turning point of the season.