RIVOLA SAYS MARQUEZ, NOT BEZZECCHI, CAUSED QATAR SPRINT COLLISION

Aprilia team boss Massimo Rivola remained unhappy with the stewards’ decision after Marco Bezzecchi crashed while battling Marc Marquez for the lead in Saturday’s MotoGP sprint in Qatar. The incident came on lap four at Turn 1: Marquez braked late and ran wide, and Bezzecchi moved up the inside. As Marquez returned to the racing line, the riders made contact. Bezzecchi fell, while Marquez stayed on his Ducati. The FIM stewards ruled it a racing incident.

Rivola had responded to the decision with sarcastic applause in the Aprilia garage. Speaking the following day, he said his view had not changed. “I was disappointed, because Marco deserved to be in the title fight until the end,” he told motogp.com. “Twenty-four hours later, I still have the same opinion as I did after 24 seconds.”

He argued that a crash with such potential consequences for the championship warranted closer examination. In his view, officials could have heard from both riders after the sprint before deciding whether to impose a penalty or take no further action. Rivola also suggested a sanction could have been applied in Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Acknowledging that the stewards have a difficult job, Rivola pointed to what he considered a straightforward question: “Who could have prevented the crash? Everyone can judge that for themselves.” He rejected the suggestion that Bezzecchi should have done something differently, saying: “Marc did what he normally does, but someone else was in his way. Marco didn’t ride towards Marc; it was the other way around.”

Bezzecchi and Aprilia got a happier result on Sunday, when the Italian won the Grand Prix convincingly.