Rivola ranted: “It wasn’t Marco who rode in Marc’s direction!”

In the MotoGP Sprint in Qatar, championship leader Marc Marquez (Ducati) and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) battled it out for the lead. The decisive moment of the race came on the fourth lap: Marquez braked a little too late going into Turn 1 and took a wider line; Bezzecchi saw his chance and dived into the gap on the inside. As the champion returned to the ideal line, the two made contact. Bezzecchi crashed, whilst Marquez remained on his Desmosedici. The FIM stewards ruled the incident a racing accident. Aprilia racing director Massimo Rivola was far from pleased – back in the pits, he acknowledged the decision with sarcastic applause.

Even a day later, Rivola had not calmed down – Saturday’s incident was still on his mind on Sunday. “I was disappointed because Marco deserved to be in the title fight right until the end. Twenty-four hours later, I still hold the same view as I did twenty-four seconds later,” said the Italian in an interview with our colleagues at motogp.com. “An incident of this nature, with such an impact on the championship, deserved a more in-depth analysis. Perhaps they could have listened to both riders after the sprint and then decided on a penalty or ‘no further action’.”

Marco Bezzecchi und Marc Marquez im Sprint in Katar

Foto: motogp.com

Massimo Rivola: “Who could have prevented the crash? Everyone can judge that for themselves”

According to Rivola, a penalty could have been imposed for the incident in the sprint, to be served the following day, i.e. during the Grand Prix. “The Stewards’ Panel has a difficult job, but with a crash like this there’s a simple rule to apply: who could have prevented the crash? Everyone can judge that for themselves,” Rivola said with a smile.

What could MM93 have done differently? “The question should be: ‘What could Bezzecchi have done differently?’ Marc did what he normally does, but someone else was in his way. It wasn’t Marco who rode into Marc’s path; it was the other way round.”

Topic of the week

World Champion Kimi Antonelli: record-breaker, heart-breaker, the Tifosi’s dream

With his third-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest of the 36 Formula 1 world champions to date. The 20-year-old Italian is on a record-breaking run. The Tifosi are dreaming of Antonelli in a Ferrari.

Read More

TV Program

Live

Portimao: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

20.11.2026 - 09:55

Massimo Rivola and the Aprilia team were given a real boost on Sunday when Bezzecchi confidently secured victory in the Grand Prix.