Marco Bezzecchi is a torrent of words and emotions—some of them conflicting—at the start of the weekend in Assen. The rider from Rimini, fresh off his suspension from the Brno GP following the incident involving a marshal, arrives with his mind full of thoughts— negative feelings like guilt and a sense of a missed opportunity, mixed with positive ones like the realization that he has learned an important lesson. It was a lesson that weighed heavily on him both emotionally and as a rider, and one from which the #72 hopes to grow.
Marco doesn’t shy away from either criticism or self-reflection. “It still hurts,” he tells reporters, adding, “It’s only right that everyone has their own opinion.” The championship is sailing full steam ahead toward the halfway point, and the Aprilia rider is still firmly in the lead in the standings, even though the gap to his rivals has narrowed significantly in recent races, and the title fight—which previously seemed like a formality—is now wide open. Amid the whirlwind of emotions, the official announcement of Bagnaia’s move to Aprilia brought a smile to his face and helped him take his mind off things. It wasn’t exactly a secret, but it was enough to let him look to the future with optimism before refocusing on the present, lowering his visor, and tackling the blisteringly fast Assen circuit.
Last weekend was tough— how did you get through it?
“It’s been a tough week,” Bezzecchi said, “but these past few days have been tough too. I want to take this opportunity to apologize once again for my actions at Brno. It was a terrible thing to do; I didn’t handle the situation the right way, and the consequences that followed were what I deserved. I felt terrible about it, and I still don’t feel quite right. Not just for myself, but also for the team and the championship, which didn’t deserve to be portrayed that way. And, of course, for the marshal who was caught up in it—now I’ll try to move past it and focus on the present.”
It’s hard to put all this behind you—is this the toughest moment of your career?
“I’ll try to do that; tomorrow I’ll go for a bike ride. I don’t know if it’s the toughest because it’s still fresh in my mind; it’s hard to analyze it clearly.”
Did you realize right away that your action would have consequences?
"I don’t remember exactly, but I expected to receive a penalty. It was the wrong thing to do, and I also waited to apologize to the marshal because I didn’t want people to think it was just an excuse to avoid the penalty. So I waited until it was confirmed, and then I sincerely apologized to him. We talked, and we even cried—in the midst of a tough time, it was a beautiful moment; it lifted a weight off my shoulders, but I knew the penalty was coming.”
Many riders understood your situation because they’ve been through it themselves.
“Obviously, everyone is free to express their opinion, and I respect that. I respect every comment that’s been made—not just by the riders; everyone has their own way of thinking, and that’s how it should be. What Marc said at the press conference made me think (about making a mistake in front of millions of people, ed.) : it’s something you shouldn’t do, but in life, we all make mistakes. We have to learn from our mistakes and grow. There are those who make mistakes and only get scolded by their mom, but then there’s us—we get scolded by millions of people in addition to our mothers. It’s part of our job, and we have to accept it; it’s not a complaint.”
What did you think when the penalty was handed down?
"I understood perfectly—the penalty was fair. I accepted and understood it, and I’m trying to see it as an opportunity to become a better person as well. It’s a moment I want to use as a lesson, but I learned a lesson immediately when I received the penalty—that’s why I believe it was the right thing to do. It wasn’t easy to accept, of course—we’re riders and we want to race. It’s an opportunity to grow and improve in many ways, including in terms of riding. I hope it will be something that helps me.”
Pecco will be by your side at Aprilia starting next year—a super Italian team—and the trash-talking between you two will reach new heights.
"(Laughs) Actually, I didn’t know that!” he joked. “Obviously, I’m happy for him, for the team, and for Aprilia. It’s cool, but it’ll also be strange to share the pit. We’ve been rivals every time, but we’ve never been this close every weekend. I’m really happy for him, and I’m also happy about the situation at Aprilia. The atmosphere in the pit is great, and my relationship with Jorge is very good, too. We’ve created a great atmosphere; I’m happy and I’m curious to see what’s ahead, but I also want to focus on this season.”
We’re almost halfway through the world championship—what’s your assessment so far?
"There have been better moments and others not so good; we’ve had some solid races with good results and a good feel for the bike. The guys have always worked well, and I think it’s been great so far. The goal is to keep it up."
On Monday, you took part in closed-door testing with Pirelli—what can you tell us about it?
“We had two options; I did the shorter test, but we’re still talking about 50–60 laps. I think it was one of my best days on the bike, partly because of the excitement from the previous days. The bike feels great, though it’s too early to say for sure—there’s definitely still a lot of work to be done. The same goes for me as a rider; adapting won’t be easy, and that will be the key to everything. But I had fun—the bike is fun to ride, though it’s hard to give an objective opinion. Since I joined MotoGP, the bikes have remained very similar; 60 laps can’t compare to five years, but my first impression wasn’t bad. As for the lack of aids… I love my current bike, but I love motorcycles in general, so I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Now all eyes are on Assen, and there’s a new development: there won’t be any lowering devices at the start.
"I’m happy to be facing another race right after Brno. It’s a track I really like, ever since the lower classes in MotoGP. I’m not setting my expectations too high; I just want to get back to feeling good on the bike and be fast. As for the starting ramps, I think it’s a decision we have to accept; there will certainly be a difference, and perhaps it will be better in terms of safety. Of course, I’m among those who think it’s not the only solution, but it’s positive that we’ve made such a strong decision.”