Marco Bezzecchi
Massimo Rivola and Aprilia find themselves on the back foot amid Ducati’s recent resurgence thanks to Marc Marquez.
Marquez’s win at the Czech Grand Prix has put Marco Bezzecchi under even more pressure, as he has reduced the gap between the two in the championship down to just 40 points.
While he was reticent to suggest he was in the title hunt earlier in the season, Marquez admitted the title race is now back on.
Here are our rider ratings after a sensational Czech Grand Prix! Which score would you change?
Marc Marquez has managed to earn 62 points in the last two races, while Bezzecchi has earned zero points due to not finishing or participating.
However, even with this swing in moment, Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola has stressed that he and the team haven’t done much wrong.
READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia disagrees with Davide Tardozzi about Marc Marquez’s condition at Czech GP
Massimo Rivola admits ‘scary’ Marc Marquez and Ducati have capitalised on Aprilia’s ‘misfortunes’
Speaking to Mela Chercoles of AS, Massimo Rivola explained that Ducati’s recent surge in momentum isn’t because they’ve made mistakes or turned into ‘idiots.’
Instead, they’ve had some misfortunes, and Ducati have managed to develop well and capitalise on their bad luck.
“As I always say, when things are going well we’re not geniuses, and when they’re going badly we’re not idiots. We simply have to keep working without focusing too much on the standings.
“I think we have a competitive bike, a strong group of riders, Ai proved that today. But at the same time, we have to congratulate our rivals.
“Ducati has taken a step forward, despite our misfortunes, they’ve taken a step forward. Marquez was scary when he wasn’t on form, now that he’s starting to get back on track, just imagine.”
READ MORE: Neil Hodgson says Marc Marquez’s rivals thought they’d ‘got rid of him’ before Czech Grand Prix win
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Massimo Rivola promises Marco Bezzecchi bounce-back ahead of Dutch Grand Prix
Speaking further in the interview, Rivola admitted that Bezzecchi needed the support of Aprilia going forward, and the rider would bounce back soon.
“I think it’s important that we act as a united team right now, as we have done in recent events with Jorge. I believe he is strong enough to bounce back, and with the team’s support, he will be even stronger.
“He will recover as quickly as possible and return as strong as possible. We’re going to Assen, a very nice track, and we have a test tomorrow, so luckily we’ll be back in action very soon. I’m convinced he will react appropriately.”
Of course, Bezzecchi slapping the marshal at Brno earned him a race ban, which allowed Marquez to further close the gap between the two in the championship standings.
After Marquez’s win, Bezzecchi looked visibly stressed, suggesting that the pressure is starting to get to the Italian rider.
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