Marco Bezzecchi reflected on the Brno incident and his suspension from the GP, expressing his desire to move forward this weekend in Assen.
Marco Bezzecchi has finally spoken publicly after what happened at last weekend's MotoGP Czech Republic Grand Prix. The Italian rider was suspended for Sunday's race after slapping a marshal the previous day. He had just crashed during the sprint race, and several marshals were trying to right his bike.
He had publicly apologized in Aprilia's official statement before going directly to the police commissioner. The two men were filmed embracing; it seemed the matter had been resolved.
However, the league leader had not yet spoken to journalists, and so he was able to speak at greater length on Thursday about how he experienced this highly publicized incident.
“It’s been a difficult week, and the last few days have been just as tough. I want to apologize again for my behavior in Brno. My handling of the situation was deplorable, and I failed to properly understand what was happening. I’m sorry, not just for myself, but also for my team, for Aprilia, and for the track marshal involved. It wasn’t the image I wanted to project. I deeply regret it, but I can’t go back. I accept everything from everyone. Now, I just want to move on ,” he said during his debriefing.
He acknowledged that he "perfectly understood" his penalty, despite Aprilia's attempt to appeal, and hopes to use it as a learning experience for the future. "I think the penalty was justified, and I accepted the decision. I tried to learn from it to improve. It wasn't easy to accept, because we're riders, and we want to race, but that's the way it is. It's an opportunity to grow and improve in every way ," he added.
Bezzecchi also addressed his initial apology to the steward, which he didn't offer immediately. "I waited because I didn't want to give the impression that I was only apologizing to avoid the penalty. I wanted to be sincere. I waited until the penalty was confirmed, and then I was able to speak to him and apologize for my mistake. It was a difficult moment, but it also brought me a lot of relief ," he explained. "Right now, it's still very recent, and it's difficult to analyze the situation with hindsight. The only thing I can do is get back on the bike, ride, and move on."
That's what he did on Monday, for the first official test of the 850cc bikes in preparation for 2027. "During the test, I was able to ride the bike for the first time. Even though I didn't do many laps, about fifty or sixty, it was a good day. Probably one of my best, because I rediscovered that feeling of riding. I really loved the bike ," he said.
Now is the time to focus on the present. The Brno incident is in the past, the 850cc is in the future, and Marco Bezzecchi will try to pick up his championship where he left off this weekend in Assen, a track that smiled on him last year with two podium finishes.
