Andrea Iannone believes Marco Bezzecchi was ‘exemplary’ after receiving ban for hitting Brno marshal

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Andrea Iannone believes Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi was “exemplary” with how he handled getting banned for the 2026 Czech Grand Prix, after he hit a marshal at Brno.

Iannone acknowledges that “no one” should ever hit a marshal, who are volunteers without whom motorsport could not take place. But he believes the way Bezzecchi responded to the FIM’s decision to slap him with a one-race suspension offered a positive example for others.

Bezzecchi was banned for the Czech GP as he hit a marshal twice, in what was a moment of madness in the aftermath of him crashing out during the Sprint Race at Brno last week. The Italian reacted poorly to the marshal accidentally revving his bike whilst trying to pick it up.

Andrea Iannone calls Marco Bezzecchi ‘exemplary’ for apologising to the marshal he hit at Brno

The incident only came to light hours after Francesco Bagnaia won the Sprint Race at Brno, with footage initially circulating online showing Bezzecchi slapping the marshal in the face.

The FIM’s decision to ban Bezzecchi for the Czech GP then followed, before the 2026 riders’ championship leader released a public apology and to the marshal on the Sunday morning.

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Iannone does not want to “blame” Bezzecchi for the incident, as he knows what it feels like in those moments. The one-time MotoGP Grand Prix winner, who earned the nickname The Maniac, also believes Bezzecchi’s personal apology to the marshal at Brno was “exemplary”.

“I know what it feels like in those moments, it’s not easy,” Iannone said, via Motosprint. “I don’t want to blame Marco, even if it is something no one should ever do.

“I think he reacted well by accepting the penalty and apologising. I think he was exemplary, and that he understood his mistake. It’s never easy to control emotions. I didn’t expect to not see him on the track. This penalty certainly sets a precedent.”

Bezzecchi sought out the marshal he hit before the Sunday morning warm-up session at the Czech GP, during which they shared a hug and the Aprilia ace gifted the marshal a pair of his gloves. The moment was captured by MotoGP’s long-distance cameras rather than close up.

Over the following days, Bezzecchi has called hitting the marshal at Brno the “worst moment of my career”, as he knows that the marshal did not mean to rev his engine while picking up his bike. The Italian also admits that he “lost control”, in a way that he “should never have”.

Also, Bezzecchi has explained why he waited to apologise to the marshal at Brno until after the FIM had issued his ban. The 27-year-old insists that he did not look to find the marshal to apologise immediately so that it did not seem like he was only trying to avoid a penalty.