Marco Bezzecchi after 200 km/h crash: “I’m just glad to be here at all”

It was only six weeks ago that Marco Bezzecchi, the overjoyed home winner of the Italian Grand Prix, left the Mugello Autodrome as the clear MotoGP leader. And even six days after the sprint race at Lake Balaton, everything was still going swimmingly for the 27-year-old. Although Marc Marquez had celebrated an astonishing comeback as the winner, Bezzecchi managed to improve his position ahead of his closest rival, Jorge Martin, by finishing third.

Then things went downhill rapidly. His crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix, caused by Jorge Martin, was followed by the sprint crash in Brno – complete with an escalation of violence and a ban from the Czech Grand Prix. After the race was rescheduled to Assen, the rider from Rimini finished one place ahead of Martin, but the next shock came during the Grand Prix. Whilst the curly-haired rider, who had been thrown from his bike at high speed, was undergoing a check-up in hospital, Jorge Martin was hailed as the new World Championship leader. Martin of all people – who ultimately missed the entire 2025 season as the developer of the current RS-GP – is back in the spotlight just before the summer break.

At the Sachsenring, however, the main concern for Marco Bezzecchi was initially his physical condition. Bezzecchi gave the thumbs-up, but at the same time expressed some reservations: “The good news is that I didn’t break anything at Assen. But apart from that – absolutely everything was hurting – and, apart from my head and arms, it still is. The truth is: I can really count myself very lucky to be here.”

Bezzecchi continued: “So it’s clear that this isn’t a normal race weekend where I’m trying to do everything I can for a perfect result – ideally a win. I’m a long way from 100 per cent. Partly because, since Assen, I’ve done nothing but seek medical treatment. I’ve done zero training and haven’t been on a motorbike. My aim is to get through the weekend and head into the summer break with a result. Everything else will have to unfold session by session.”

Bearing in mind that Marco Bezzecchi, as a VR46 Academy protégé, normally trains every day in ideal conditions – this is certainly a harsh punishment for the rider who had long made his mark on the first half of the season.

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Nevertheless, Bezzecchi harboured no hard feelings at the Sachsenring when reflecting on his crash at Assen. The Aprilia works rider was matter-of-fact: “It was actually a normal crash – it was just very fast. We were doing 200 km/h. I was just a fraction too fast and when I opened the throttle, the front wheel went out from under me.”

Marco Bezzecchi also brushed aside criticism of the condition of the gravel trap in Germany: “I don’t think it makes any real difference at that speed. In my case, the condition of the gravel trap probably wouldn’t have made any difference either.”

The situation ahead of the final event before the short summer break: Marco Bezzecchi, who finished on the podium in last year’s Sprint race but crashed in the GP, is just seven points behind Jorge Martin – but also only nine points ahead of the top Ducati rider, Fabio Di Giannantonio.