“All the risks in one corner” for Marco Bezzecchi in “key” Fabio Quartararo pass

Marco Bezzecchi says his around-the-outside pass on Fabio Quartararo on the opening lap of the Czech MotoGP was the “key moment” of his race.

The Italian would go on to pass Marc Marquez at turn five, and then Francesco Bagnaia at turn one on the second lap to lead the race.

Bezzecchi led until lap eight, when Marquez passed him for the lead. The championship leader went on to take his eighth grand prix victory of the season and fifth in a row, while Bezzecchi took second, but the Italian said it was that first lap pass on Quartararo and following push to the head of the field that was the key of his race.

“It was a fun race,” Marco Bezzecchi told MotoGP.com’s After the Flag review show in Czechia.

“A very good race. The start was good and, compared to yesterday, I studied a bit more the strategy for where to place myself in the first couple of corners.

“I was able to make a fantastic overtake on Fabio [Quartararo] on the outside of turn three – it was really crazy.

“All the risks that I could take during the race, I sum everything and I put it in one corner that was that turn three.

“It was the key moment because, after, I was able to go in the front and, for the front tyre especially, it was crucial because this track was really demanding on the front.

“I knew Marc [Marquez] was managing, to be honest – I was managing, also, because I didn’t want to push to try to escape knowing that he had something in his pocket.

“So, I tried to just make my pace, warm everything, be ready, and when he overtook me I wanted to fight, but he was something faster than me compared to Assen, that was the last time that I was close.

“This time I was a bit more far, let’s say.

“The pace was fantastic, I made my best lap in the last one, so very happy to make a weekend like this.”

Marco Bezzecchi details Fabio Quartararo overtake

In the MotoGP post-race press conference, Bezzecchi added that his overtake on Quartararo was inspired by the path his Sprint took on Saturday.

“That moment [the pass on Quartararo] was probably the best one, the more [adrenaline-filled] one for myself,” the Aprilia Racing rider said.

“The overtake was amazing because Fabio [Quartararo] went inside and, yesterday, to follow him I got passed by Pedro [Acosta] in the start.

“So, I said, ‘Now I go on the right and I try on the outside.’ I think I put all the [risks] in one corner and thankfully it paid off because then it was the correct move to be able to stay in front.”

Bezzecchi added that his calmness after he was passed by Marquez was also important because it allowed him to have enough tyre at the end of the race to fend of Pedro Acosta behind.

“I knew Marc [Marquez] was really strong, we saw his pace during all the weekend and, honestly, with the medium [compound] rear tyre I never worked a lot – I tried the tyre only this morning,” he said.

“I knew for sure that he would be very strong. So, when he passed me I didn’t panic too much, I tried to follow but I saw that he was slightly faster lap-by-lap, he was making a bigger gap.

“So, I kept calm, I kept the concentration, I tried to make my rhythm without stressing anything too much.

“Then, in the end, it was the key because in the last three or four laps I had the speed and the tyre left to escape from Pedro [Acosta] and finish in second place.”

If there was something Bezzecchi regretted about the weekend it was his crashes, with two on Friday and a third for the weekend on Saturday in Q2.

"This race, this weekend, I made too many mistakes," he told TNT Sports after the race.

"Especially in practice I crashed twice. Then in qualifying I missed the braking mark at the first corner.

"I felt good, especially in braking, and this gave me the confidence to exaggerate. But I made mistakes. This created two crashes.

"I tried to calm myself, I saw the data was good. My team kept me calm.

"In the Sprint and today I was able to [do] better.

"It’s good but it’s not the most important for me. I am more happy to bounce back after the Sachsenring - a small mistake for a big consequence.

"To bounce back at a completely new track, and to be able to fight with Marc, was good."

Bezzecchi now sits fourth in the standings on 156 points, 57 points behind Francesco Bagnaia in third and 225 behind championship leader Marquez.