"I pushed the marshal, but..." - Marco Bezzecchi's first explanation to Aprilia after Brno incident

Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola has explained how the team gradually learned about Marco Bezzecchi’s altercation with a marshal, which ultimately saw the MotoGP title leader banned from Sunday's Czech Grand Prix.

Bezzecchi crashed out of fifth place on the penultimate lap of the Sprint race.

However, away from the live broadcast, the Italian then lost his temper when a marshal accidentally twisted the throttle of his Aprilia while it was being lifted from the gravel trap.

Bezzecchi ran over and pushed the marshal as he arrived to switch off the engine, then slapped him before walking away.

Images of the incident emerged in the hours after the Sprint.

"The second is not acceptable"

“Yes, I was [surprised],” Rivola said, when asked for his reaction to the images on Sunday evening.

“Not about the first [push], because it was saving the bike in a way, let me say. 

"Clearly, the second one [slap] is not acceptable."

However, it appears Aprilia only became fully aware of the incident when summoned to the FIM MotoGP Stewards.

“It was a bit after the race, and we were informed - Bonora [team manager] called me, ‘come to the Stewards’,” Rivola said.

Asked if Bezzecchi had not already told the team what happened, Rivola replied:

“Marco said, ‘Ah yes, I pushed the marshal, but he was breaking [revving] the engine’. So, okay. He totally forgot about the second part [the slap].

“So, in that moment, the peak of adrenaline is... It's not to justify, but some athletes of this kind of sport, they reach a peak of adrenaline, which again, is not a justification, but something that is there.”

Rivola again apologised to the marshal involved and stressed that Aprilia accepts the punishment.

“We are for the zero tolerance [penalty], so I'm fine with that, and we accept it,” he said.

Aleix vs Morbidelli

Nonetheless, Aprilia did attempt to appeal the suspension, which was rejected.

“The reason why we did the appeal was because in the past there were cases that were much [less serious] but still [significant]… like the one of Aleix with Morbidelli. That was 10,000 euros and six grid positions."

Espargaro, then an Aprilia rider, slapped Morbidelli's helmet in an on-track incident during practice for the 2023 Qatar round.

“So my thought was, maybe this [suspension] is a bit too harsh," Rivola continued, We want to see him racing, give him a big fine, give him a grid position penalty, but let him race because it never happened in the past.

“But if this is the way to go, I'm fine; I agree. As I said, zero tolerance is also from our side, and that's it. We set a precedent that it's good to follow.”

While Rivola felt Bezzecchi’s actions were comparable to rider-on-rider scuffles, the FIM Appeal Stewards highlighted the specific role of marshals when issuing their verdict upholding the suspension:

“The Appeal Stewards consider it particularly significant that the individuals involved were marshals actively engaged in the recovery of the rider’s machine following an accident.

“Such personnel were acting solely in the interests of rider safety, event safety and the orderly conduct of the competition.

“Physical aggression towards marshals is wholly unacceptable in professional motorsport and cannot be tolerated irrespective of the circumstances leading to the incident.”

"Bezzecchi feels sh*t"

Bezzecchi, who will return to action during Monday's 850cc test at Brno, appeared emotional when apologising to the marshal on Sunday morning.

“He feels sh*t, as every one of us would feel,” Rivola said. “He's quite an emotional person and, as you can imagine...

“The good thing is that tomorrow he's on the [850] bike and a new challenge. Then we race in Assen, so it's easy to turn the page.”

In a team statement, Bezzecchi said: 

“I would like to apologise to the entire MotoGP community for my behaviour toward the trackside marshal.

"I'm also sorry because I know how much effort and sacrifice marshals make to ensure our safety.

"This behaviour shouldn't happen, and there is no justification for it. I apologise to everyone, Aprilia Racing and all my fans.”

Bezzecchi's championship lead has been cut to eight points over team-mate Jorge Martin, while Brno winner Marc Marquez is now 40 points from the top of the standings.