Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing, has expressed his disagreement with the decision of the marshals not to penalize Marc Márquez for his collision with Marco Bezzecchi during the sprint of the Qatar Grand Prix. The controversy arises after an incident that took place mid-race in Losail, where Márquez veered off his ideal line and caused a fall for Bezzecchi.
According to Rivola, the lack of penalty for Márquez is one of the points that has generated debate. Both riders were in a complicated situation, but the CEO of Aprilia believes that Márquez could have avoided the incident. The Italian rider was only able to seize an opportunity to overtake, while Márquez opted to return to his usual line.
Rivola expressed that the impact caused the deployment of Márquez’s airbag and made him fall, an incident that not only ended Bezzecchi’s title hopes for 2026 but also led to the ironic applause of the Aprilia director in the pit, in disagreement with the commission’s decision.
The executive indicated: ‘Marco could not avoid the collision. Therefore, if he was not to blame, it seems clear to me that the responsibility lay with Marc. In crucial moments of the season, better communication between the marshals and the riders could have led to fairer decisions.’
Despite the incident, Bezzecchi managed to recover and won the Grand Prix, keeping his championship hopes alive. In contrast, Márquez finished second, thus increasing his lead in the championship by 60 points, a situation that continues to fuel the controversy and debate among MotoGP fans and experts.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
