Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez strongly defended Marco Bezzecchi at the German Grand Prix, denying that his crash was ‘karma’. As great as this answer was, a VR46 associate would never do the same.
Bezzecchi and Marquez have not seen eye to eye in the past, and this tension ramped up after their crash at the Indonesian GP last year. The Aprilia rider took out the Ducati star at turn seven, leaving him with a fractured shoulder.
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Fortunately for the Ant of Cervera, he had already won the title. Furthermore, Marquez chose not to ‘crucify’ Bezzecchi as he felt he could have made the same mistake.
In 2026, the duo are battling for the title, with Bezzecchi looking like he had the advantage after leading every lap and winning the opening three races, while Marquez struggled with injury. They may be rivals, but one thing is clear: respect is there, as the German GP proved.
No VR46 rider would defend Marc Marquez in the way he defended Marco Bezzecchi at the German GP
It has been a nightmare few rounds for the Aprilia rider, failing to score points in the previous three races before the German GP. That streak continued at the Sachsenring as Bezzecchi suffered a ‘complete’ collarbone fracture in a qualifying crash and was ruled out of the race.
After taking pole position, Marquez was asked post-qualifying if Bezzecchi’s crash was ‘karma’ for him taking him out in Indonesia. The Spaniard emphatically denied this, instead offering support to his rival.
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He said via Crash: “Karma doesn’t exist. I have read the word ‘karma’ since 2015, for example. And I won six world championships after that. So, if that was karma, then [it’s welcome]. Karma doesn’t exist, and all the riders are taking a lot of risk out there. And we wish the best for Marco.
“And today happened one thing that we can resolve for the future, because one more time [with] Bezzecchi, Fermin [Aldeguer] in Assen, and me in Indonesia, we got injured going into the gravel because of the step,” referring to the lip between the asphalt and the gravel.
“So, I hope for a good recovery for Bez. But I hope for the future we can fix that thing.”
This is not the first time that the Ducati rider has come to the Italian’s defence. Marquez backed up Bezzecchi at Brno after he was suspended for hitting a marshal during the Sprint, and he wished him well after his heavy accident at Assen.
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Marquez’s response to the ludicrous question was indicative of his character and maturity, especially when it comes to his feud with Valentino Rossi. Their rivalry is still clearly as intense as it was when they were racing together in MotoGP.
Davide Tardozzi believes Rossi and Marquez’s relationship is not ‘irreparable’, but hinted that the former is the one unwilling to reconcile. This burning hatred still exists through his MotoGP team, VR46, and his riders and former riders, such as Bezzecchi, would not defend Marquez in the same way.
While the Ducati rider is quick to show respect, there is obvious hostility towards him from the VR46 camp. This was proven at COTA when Fabio Di Giannantonio had a tense exchange with Marquez after he was taken out in the Sprint.
While there may be more respect for Marquez at VR46 than in the past – for example, Pecco Bagnaia did not get involved in Rossi’s feud with his now-Ducati team – no one associated with the Doctor would offer as strong a defence for Marquez as he offers them.
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