Marco Bezzecchi
Marco Bezzecchi missed out on pole position at the Australian Grand Prix despite being the strong favourite. And a run-in with Francesco Bagnaia may have played a part.
Bezzecchi was pipped to pole by Fabio Quartararo at the end of Q2 when it looked as if top spot was secure. He’d been three-tenths clear of the field at the end of Friday, and virtually retained that margin in FP2.
But Q2 wasn’t a completely clean session for the Aprilia rider. He encountered yellow flags after a crash for Alex Marquez, and also had a near-miss at the Stoner corner involving Bagnaia and Honda’s Luca Marini.
Bagnaia struggled once again on Saturday morning, ending up down in 11th place.
Neil Hodgson says Marco Bezzecchi’s reaction to Francesco Bagnaia incident was ‘extreme’
After Bagnaia compromised his line, Bezzecchi nearly made contact with Marini on the outside of the circuit. With his lap spoiled, he slowed down and furiously gesticulated at his fellow VR46 academy graduates.
TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson couldn’t believe Bezzecchi’s ‘extreme’ display of anger given the close relationship between the trio, even if he acknowledges that Bagnaia was ‘in his way’.
Bezzecchi’s rage may partly have stemmed from the added pressure in qualifying, with the stewards serving him a double long-lap penalty for his collision with Marc Marquez in Indonesia. The incident with Bagnaia was passed to the Australian Grand Prix stewards.
“I’m just shocked,” Hodgson said afterwards. “They are his best buddies. It’s extreme. Don’t get me wrong, he’s coming round the fast Stoner corner, and 100% Pecco’s in his way.
“He’s going slow and that’s the racing line. But Luca Marini’s on the edge of the track trying to keep out of his way. That’s not affecting anybody. I’m sure he’s giving it to them both.”
Francesco Bagnaia proved right about Marc Marquez’s Phillip Island absence
Davide Tardozzi said on Friday that Ducati were targeting a podium for Bagnaia – a sign of the rider’s regression. Even with world champion Marquez out, they didn’t feel a win was necessarily realistic.
The events of qualifying certainly suggest they were right, though it’s worth noting that Alex Marquez was the lead Ducati in P6 as rivals continue to make progress.
Bagnaia never thought he’d benefit from Marquez’s absence, pointing out that he thrived at Motegi – one of only two races he has won this year – when the team were focused on his teammate’s impending coronation. He isn’t struggling because of a lack of attention.
With the gap standing at 20 points coming into the weekend, Bezzecchi has a strong chance of taking third place in the championship from Bagnaia.
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