BEZZECCHI REVEALS THE STORY BEHIND HIS PEPPER-GRINDER CELEBRATION

Marco Bezzecchi’s first MotoGP victory since the Italian Grand Prix came with an unexpected prop: a pepper grinder. The Italian brandished it on the cooldown lap after winning at Mandalika, celebrating his fifth victory of the season with a gesture rooted in a running joke among friends.

Bezzecchi said the gag began with friends who sometimes travel to races, including Mugello, and later spread to Aprilia track analyst Matteo Baiocco. Formula 1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli was also drawn into it.

“It’s a long story with all my friends at home, who come to the races sometimes,” Bezzecchi told MotoGP’s After the Flag. He explained that his friends and Baiocco shared a habit of joking about putting pepper in everything. “So, we started this stupid thing, and we also involved Kimi,” he said. They encouraged Antonelli to “put some pepper always in the races”.

Baiocco surprised Bezzecchi with the grinder at Mandalika. “I didn’t know [about it], but it was amazing,” the rider said.

The celebration followed a difficult stretch for Bezzecchi. He recorded four Sunday non-finishes between Hungary and Germany, then crashed out while leading at Misano. A knee injury from his German Grand Prix crash continued to trouble him as he worked his way back into contention.

Bezzecchi said his thoughts turned to winning again while he was in hospital in July. “The first thought, when I was in the hospital, was when I will be back winning,” he recalled. “It’s been a tough and long period after the injury.”

Although his return was encouraging, he said it had been hard to fight at the front. At Mandalika, however, the pace came together after a productive weekend. “Fortunately, today the pace was good; all weekend we worked well,” he said.

“I feel good, I feel very happy,” Bezzecchi added, reflecting on the victory and the end of a challenging period. The result has revived his championship hopes, but he remains 46 points behind the leader with five rounds left.