MotoGP championship leader Marco Bezzecchi has been banned from the Czech Grand Prix after hitting a marshal twice. Filthy after crashing out from fifth place, Bezzecchi stormed back towards the marshals who were helping to recover his bike and struck one of them in the face twice.
Footage Shows Marshal Pushed and Slapped
Damning footage shows the official first pushed, and then slapped, in the face as he tries to lift the bike off the ground with other marshals. Bezzecchi’s bizarre outburst drew the ire of the stewards, who issued an extraordinary ban for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
“Following a crash, you pushed and struck circuit marshals who were trying to recover your machine,” a statement reads. “This is an action prejudicial to the interests of the sport and is therefore an infringement.
“Any corrupt or fraudulent act, or any action prejudicial to the interests of the meetings or of the sport, carried out by a person or a group of persons occurring during an event.
“For the above reasons, the FIM MotoGP stewards panel has imposed upon you a suspension from the grand prix of Czechia.”
Ban a Major Blow for Championship Leader
The ban is a major blow for Bezzecchi, whose championship lead over teammate Jorge Martin had already been reduced to 15 points following the crash-out — his fourth sprint retirement of the season.
At the front of the race, it was Francesco Bagnaia who delivered a commanding performance to win the sprint race, leading from the start to secure his first victory of the MotoGP season.
Bagnaia Wins Sprint Race
Pole-sitter Ai Ogura, who had set a lap record in qualifying, finished 0.241 seconds behind the Italian in Brno as double world champ ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia celebrated his first win since Sepang last season.
“It was incredible. I am very happy. The first two laps made everything,” Ducati rider Bagnaia told reporters.
“I started when I tried to push open the gap and when I tried to control a bit because the rear degree was not that bad but vibration was huge. So I need to slow down a bit and try to control in the last two gaps.”
Starting from third on the grid, Bagnaia was flawless and took the lead straight away and never relinquished it, despite pressure from Ogura in the closing stages.
Ogura and Marquez Complete Podium
The Japanese rider never managed to close the gap enough to pose a real threat to the former champion.
“The performance of the rear tyre was really good, but the limitation for me was at the front,” Ogura said.
“But we will have another chance tomorrow, so we will try again.”
Bagnaia’s Ducati teammate Marc Marquez climbed from fifth on the grid to complete the podium in third, while VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio took fourth place.
Australian Jack Miller was 14th on his Pramac Yamaha, 16 seconds behind.
