Marc Marquez was involved in yet another collision during Saturday morning practice for MotoGP’s German Grand Prix, this time making contact with VR46 Ducati racer Marco Bezzecchi.
But, unlike his dramatic Friday incident with Johann Zarco, this time Marquez was not to blame – and Bezzecchi got off lightly with a warning when a grid penalty would’ve been appropriate.
Marquez struck Bezzecchi when the Italian rider rolled off the gas to look over his shoulder with the Honda in close proximity behind.
Way too close for comfort 😱
An early squabble between @marcmarquez93 and Bezzecchi 💥#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/Wicvpt7N2X
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 17, 2023
The incident in FP3 happened on the approach to the Sachsenring’s final corner, with Bezzecchi preparing to enter pitlane and slowing considerably to check behind him without anticipating Marquez’s presence, leaving the six-time world champion lucky to stay on his bike after glancing off the left side of the Ducati.
OPINION: BEZZECCHI DESERVED A PENALTY
Bezzecchi was handed a conduct warning for the move by the FIM MotoGP stewards.
But that doesn’t tally with previous sanctions handed out by the stewards such as Franco Morbidelli’s pair of 2022 long-lap penalties for comparable riding in practice.
And it significantly downplays the possible severity of the crash that could easily have occurred had Marquez not taken avoiding action when he did.
The danger of riding slowly on the racing line is something that’s drilled into even club racers, so to see MotoGP riders supposedly at the pinnacle of the game make mistakes even rookies wouldn’t is infuriating – and to see the stewards seemingly condone it with weak ‘warnings’ rather than hard penalties is equally irritating.
Had the contact resulted in a crash – something it very much could have – then it’s hard to imagine that Bezzecchi would have escaped with just a warning, but only punishing consequences and not actions won’t fix any of the issues that the series has with reckless riding.
We were promised a new officiating regime recently by chief steward Freddie Spencer, yet while riders go unpunished for major breaches of the rules, it’s hard to put any weight behind his words.
VR46 DEFENDS BEZZECCHI
Bezzecchi’s team boss Pablo Nieto felt even the conduct warning was too severe.
“Our plan was to make two laps and then go in,” Nieto explained to MotoGP’s pitlane reporter Jack Appleyard.
“He was in the group, it’s normal that he has to look behind for the entry of the pitlane, to see if there are some riders behind him, because also the entry for this pitlane is not so easy because it’s just behind the last corner.
“I think he didn’t make anything wrong, the only thing is that Marc was very close behind him and I think it was unfortunate for Marco and for Marc.
“I think maybe the warning is too much.”
INCIDENT ADDS TO MARQUEZ’S WILD WEEKEND
It marks yet more controversy for Marquez this weekend at the Sachsenring after a Turn 1 crash for him on Friday during FP2 in which his tumbling bike impacted with Zarco’s Pramac Ducati as the Frenchman exited pitlane.
That controversy escalated afterwards when Marquez put the blame for it on Zarco rather than taking any responsibility himself.
Marquez then crashed again in Q1 on Saturday morning, running back across the live racetrack afterwards as he hurried to get back for his spare bike.
Just @marcmarquez93 moments. Back on the bike within 30 seconds. pic.twitter.com/MFMqCtYERI
— Repsol Honda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) June 17, 2023
Bezzecchi wasn’t the only rider to elicit exasperation from his fellow competitors during Saturday, with his fellow VR46 Academy graduate Morbidelli drawing the ire of Jack Miller after the Australian was lucky to avoid contact with Morbidelli’s Yamaha as he cruised on the racing line – something he has a history of in the past.
