RIVOLA FIRES BACK AT MARQUEZ OVER APRILIA TEAM-ORDERS CLAIM

Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola has pushed back at Marc Marquez’s suggestion that Ai Ogura was riding to protect Marco Bezzecchi’s podium chances at the Malaysian Grand Prix, turning a debate over team orders into a pointed exchange involving Ducati’s Marquez brothers.

The issue arose after the Sepang sprint, where Bezzecchi passed Aprilia team-mate Ogura late to take third. The pair later collided in the main race. Speaking to DAZN, Marquez said Ogura had been trying to keep ahead of him because “otherwise he knew he would lose the podium”, adding that Ogura could not stay between Marquez and Bezzecchi without taking points away from the Italian.

Rivola dismissed the accusation and aimed his response at Marquez and Ducati. “What Marc says doesn’t really interest me that much, honestly,” he told DAZN, before adding: “I think they play team games at home, with their family.” The remark referred to the Australian Grand Prix sprint, when Alex Marquez said he had not intended to make a risky attempt to pass his older brother for the win. Had Alex won, Marc would have left Phillip Island seven points ahead of Jorge Martin rather than 10.

The championship picture has since shifted. Marc Marquez won in Malaysia, while Martin withdrew with a wrist injury, extending Marquez’s lead to 44 points. Bezzecchi is 67 points behind, and Marquez can clinch the title in Qatar this weekend.

Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna also addressed the controversy, setting out the team’s approach to instructions between riders. He stressed that the sport must put competitors’ safety and dignity first: “We must respect all the riders who race and risk their lives on motorbikes.” Manufacturers may make requests, he said, but “they must stop where respect for the person, for the rider, begins.”

Dall’Igna noted that Marc and Alex being brothers may make the situation easier to manage. Ducati’s guidance, he said, is for riders not to get into trouble with competitors on the same brand. “So far, apart from the start of the championship, everything has gone very smoothly,” he added.

Aprilia has faced questions about team orders for several weeks as it pursues its first MotoGP world title. The Sepang incidents have brought those questions back into focus, with Rivola’s retort highlighting that the debate is not limited to one team or one set of riders.