Franco Morbidelli names the MotoGP rider who deserved race ban before Marco Bezzecchi

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Marco Bezzecchi became the first Grand Prix rider to be banned from a race in five years at Brno last weekend.

Bezzecchi was forced to sit out Sunday’s Czech GP after striking a marshal during Saturday’s Sprint while his stricken Aprilia was being recovered.

The last rider to receive this penalty was Deniz Oncu (then in Moto3) for his role in a multi-bike crash in Austin. In 2018, Moto2 rider Romano Fenati was banned until the end of the season after infamously pulling Stefano Manzi’s brake lever at Misano.

Franco Morbidelli: Aleix Espargaro ‘shouldn’t have been racing’ after slap

After the race in Czechia, Morbidelli was asked about his fellow VR46 academy graduate being banned.

He recalled the 2023 Qatar GP, when Aleix Espargaro slapped him on the helmet after they made contact during FP2.

Espargaro received a €10k (£8.7k) fine and a six-place grid penalty, but Morbidelli thinks he too should have been banned.

“Aleix Espargaro shouldn’t have even been racing when he did that terrible thing in Qatar,” the 13th-place finisher said, via Motosprint. “We’re people; I’m a rider, and the steward is a person.”

Aprilia accepted that Bezzecchi deserved a sanction, but they felt it was disproportionate. That’s why they lodged an appeal, which was rejected.

While they begrudgingly accepted that verdict rather than taking the matter any further, they say a precedent has now been set.

• READ MORE: Czech Grand Prix marshal says ‘I did my job’ after being hit by Marco Bezzecchi

Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo furiously clashed with marshals after crashing at Le Mans last year, earning himself a €2k (£1.7k) fine and a short practice suspension, but the confrontation didn’t become physical.

Arguably the biggest threat for the championship after back-to-back wins, Marc Marquez defended Bezzecchi after the race, along with several other riders.

Bezzecchi apologised for his behaviour in a statement and also personally sought out the marshal before Sunday’s race, which he watched from the garage.