Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP pundit Marco Melandri has blasted the sport’s governing body, the FIM, for their ‘dangerous’ decision to disqualify Marco Bezzecchi from the Czech Grand Prix.
Bezzecchi was banned from Sunday’s Grand Prix after replays of his crash in the Sprint race showed him slapping a trackside marshal in the face as they attempted to recover his stricken Aprilia prototype from the gravel trap at turn three.
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It was a sheer moment of madness for the championship leader, who would later see his advantage at the top of the MotoGP standings suffer as Marc Marquez took home a second consecutive Grand Prix victory after holding off Ai Ogura in the latter stages of the race.
On the morning of the Grand Prix, following the stewards’ decision to disqualify him from the race, Bezzecchi issued a formal apology to the marshal, as well as fans who witnessed the incident, but Marco Melandri doesn’t think the matter is done with just yet.
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Marco Melandri thinks Marco Bezzecchi may return to MotoGP ‘angrier than ever’ after Brno DSQ
In a recent episode of the Chiacchiere da Box podcast with Melandri and Formula 1 expert Davide Valsecchi, the former issued his verdict on the actions of Bezzecchi in Brno.
“It really is a disgrace; the problem is that it could trigger a massive domino effect, to put it bluntly,” Melandri fumed. “Even the sponsors might complain about damage to their image.
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Marco Bezzecchi was thrown out of the Czech GP for hitting a marshal
“Now, I mean, in the background, you’re opening up a whole world that you could really keep going for months or even years. It’s a mess. It’s a complex situation, in the sense that, Bezzecchi was right.
“But then, afterwards, he lost his head because he lost sight of things and did something he shouldn’t have done.”
Despite the scathing critique of Bezzecchi’s actions, the five-time MotoGP Grand Prix winner thinks that stewards may have acted a little harshly towards the Italian.
Asked what penalty he would have given Bezzecchi if he were in control, Melandri replied, “I would have made him start last. I would have made him start last.
“At least that way you’d be penalising him, but you’d also be giving him the incentive and the determination to do well, to want to do well, by starting last. He could still have put on a show even during the race, because making a comeback is always a spectacle.
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And so then perhaps a fine, or, to be honest, community service or something different, but leaving him at home, in my opinion, becomes even more dangerous. Maybe in the next race, he’ll come back angrier than ever, and could be even more dangerous on the track.”
Bezzecchi will immediately get his chance at redemption this weekend, with the Dutch TT serving as the second round of a double-header following last Sunday’s round in Czechia.
The 27-year-old has scored three P2’s at the circuit in four attempts while racing atop premier class machinery, and will be hoping to finally break his duck by securing a win at Assen.
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