Marco Bezzecchi banned from Czech Grand Prix for hitting MotoGP marshal after Sprint crash

Add as preferred source on Google

MotoGP has suspended 2026 riders’ championship leader Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia for the Czech Grand Prix after hitting a marshal twice following his Sprint Race crash.

The shock announcement came this Saturday night following a stewards hearing at Brno, in which Bezzecchi was deemed in breach of Article 3.3.2.2 of the FIM’s World Championship regulations. The Aprilia ace will now no longer take part in Sunday’s feature race in Czechia.

Bezzecchi was caught on camera hitting one of the trackside marshals in the face while they were removing the 27-year-old’s RS-GP from the gravel trap following his race-ending crash. After first shoving the marshal attending to his bike, he hit out again before storming away.

Francesco Bagnaia wins the Brno Sprint 🏆 But who was your rider of the race, and why?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Marco Bezzecchi suspended from the Czech Grand Prix for actions ‘prejudicial’ to MotoGP’s ‘interests

Bezzecchi fell as a result of a small error at Turn 3 in the closing stages of the Sprint Race at the Czech GP on Saturday while trying to maintain a margin over Aprilia teammate and title rival, Jorge Martin, for P5. The Italian lost the front end of his bike, and slid into the gravel.

READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia wins the Czech Grand Prix Sprint ahead of Ai Ogura

Footage later appeared online showing Bezzecchi rushing towards the marshal attempting to pick up his crashed Aprilia. Bezzecchi immediately reached out and pushed the marshal in the face before appearing to turn his engine off, and then again slapping the marshal’s face.

MotoGP noted in its statement suspending Bezzecchi from Sunday’s Czech GP as a result of his actions that the Aprilia rider’s actions were ‘prejudicial to the interests of the sport’. The stewards listened to Bezzecchi in the hearing, but maintained their decision to suspend him.

Bezzecchi was due to start from P4 after qualifying 0.289s off the pace as Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura scored pole for the Czech GP aboard his satellite Aprilia RS-GP with a 1:51.139. Ogura was also the lead Aprilia rider in the Sprint, as he finished second behind Francesco Bagnaia.

Ogura will even be Aprilia’s main hope in the Czech GP on Sunday, with factory rider Martin set to serve a double long lap penalty at Brno for causing the huge Turn 1 crash at the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Martin qualified P10 for the Czech GP and got P5 in the Sprint.

This is not the first time that Bezzecchi has drawn the wrath of the stewards for an incident involving a trackside marshal, either. During his rookie MotoGP season as a VR46 rider back in 2022, Bezzecchi was fined €1,000 for grabbing and pushing a marshal in FP3 in Valencia.