May 9, 2026, Le Mans, France: Number 72 Aprilia Racing rider Marco Bezzecchi celebrates coming third in the Sprint Race at the 2026 Michelin Grand Prix of France Le Mans France - ZUMAs197 20260509_aaa_s197_375 Copyright: xStephenxBlackberryx
May 9, 2026, Le Mans, France: Number 72 Aprilia Racing rider Marco Bezzecchi celebrates coming third in the Sprint Race at the 2026 Michelin Grand Prix of France Le Mans France - ZUMAs197 20260509_aaa_s197_375 Copyright: xStephenxBlackberryx
Jun 21, 2026, 10:30 AM CUT
MotoGP Star Suspended After Physical Altercation with Track Marshal
2026 MotoGP championship leader Marco Bezzecchi has been banned from taking part in the Czech GP on Sunday. The Aprilia Racing rider got into an altercation with one of the marshals who was retrieving his stranded bike on the gravel, and shoved and slapped him.
Bezzecchi lost control of his bike on the last lap of the Brno sprint race. He was running in fifth place when he crashed at Turn 3. However, the marshal who attempted to recover his bike accidentally revved it, and the engine was on.
It seemed that moment led to Bezzecchi's frustration, as he "pushed and struck" the circuit marshal, in the words of the FIM MotoGP Stewards. That action infringed Article 3.3.2.2 of the rulebook, an action "prejudicial to the interests of the sport."
A few angles of that moment of Marco Bezzecchi slapping the marshal went viral on social media, and he faced mass backlash. Aprilia had the right to review the race suspension by the MotoGP stewards, which it did, but to no avail.
The FIM Appeal Stewards upheld the decision taken by the FIM MotoGP Stewards, and the Italian rider remained suspended. Aprilia had the option to further escalate the appeal to the CAI, which would be the final appeal, but the team chose not to do so.
Marco Bezzecchi laments "unfortunate" sprint mistake amid tight MotoGP title fight
Marco Bezzecchi's suspension from the Czech GP will have enormous repercussions in his title fight against teammate Jorge Martin. The strong start to the Italian's 2026 season, which saw him win three consecutive races to start, has gone slightly sideways.
"In the Sprint, I have been struggling a bit," Bezzecchi said on Saturday. "Unfortunately, my feeling was not the best, and... and nothing, I made a unfortunate small mistake in Turn 3. I lost the front, and I crashed."
After a DNF for him in Hungary and the sprint crash on Saturday, the points gap to Martin is at 15 and could disappear at the Czech GP.
However, Martin has a double long lap penalty to serve in the Grand Prix race on Sunday for causing a pileup in Hungary on June 7, which had taken out five riders, including himself and teammate Bezzecchi.
For rivals Ducati, which won the Sprint with Francesco Bagnaia, all of this is good news, as they get a solid chance at reducing the 119-point gap to Aprilia in the teams' championships.
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