Marco Bezzecchi ‘suffering more than expected’ after Marc Marquez tangle

Marco Bezzecchi admits his back is feeling ‘worse than expected’ after Friday at the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix as a consequence of his crash with Marc Marquez.

The factory Aprilia rider comes into the Phillip Island round carrying a double long lap penalty, after he triggered a collision with world champion Marc Marquez at the Indonesian Grand Prix.

Though Marco Bezzecchi walked away without serious injury, he is still suffering the aftereffects of the crash, particularly in his back.

Speaking after topping Friday practice with a new lap record at Phillip Island, Bezzecchi admitted: “I have to say that I expected it to be a bit better, especially in the afternoon.

“But I felt a bit of pain. This track has a lot of corners on the left side.

“So, we spent a lot of time on the drive, trying to make the pick-up.

“In that area I suffer, but also in braking when I put my body up, I suffer a bit. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better, but I expected it to be better already.”

Can Bezzecchi overcome his penalty to win in Australia?

Bezzecchi’s penalty is a massive blow to his victory hopes, as his one-lap speed has been paired with strong race pace on Friday in Australia.

He practiced using the long lap loop, losing 2.6 seconds, but is wary of making predictions on what could be possible in the grand prix.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“Let’s try to think about tomorrow first, because tomorrow at the end is a normal day.

“So, we try to be focused and make a decent qualifying. And then it’s the sprint. And then we will focus on Sunday, and we will try to do our best.

“We have to try to fight for the first two rows, as always, because it’s the key. Many riders are fast with the soft rear, so let’s try to improve something more for tomorrow.”

On his new lap record, he added: “It was good. I have to say that on my dash, it was a bit slower.

“I was happy anyway. The best thing for me was that I felt good with the bike. I enjoyed the day, and my feeling overall was good since this morning. So, it was positive.”