– Aprilia factory rider Marco Bezzecchi suffered a potentially decisive setback in the 2026 MotoGP title fight last Sunday at the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano. His crash while leading directly in the first lap of the race in front of his home crowd now presents him with a very difficult task for the remaining races of the season, especially with Ducati factory rider Marc Marquez winning at the same time.
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Before the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg next weekend, Bezzecchi, who led the championship standings for much of the first half of the season, now trails by 33 points both Marc Marquez and his own Aprilia teammate Jorge Martin (2026 MotoGP overall standings).
Giving up is not an option for Bezzecchi. He already emphasized this after his fateful crash in mid-July at the Sachsenring. The crash, in which he injured his shoulder and knee, happened during qualifying. As a result, “Bez” had to miss both the sprint and the Grand Prix in Germany and instead undergo surgery in Italy.
Especially the knee injury is still troubling him two months later. However, for Bezzecchi, handing over the 2026 world title to Marquez or Martin already is not an option.
Asked how he feels physically after the Misano crash, he answered directly on Sunday: “What I can say is that my shoulder is in perfect condition. My knee still hurts a little, but I don’t think that’s due to this crash here.”
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Bezzecchi’s view on the championship fight is determined. “After seven races you are not a contender, not even after 14. There are still plenty of races to go. I myself did not feel after seven Grands Prix that I already had a hand on the title. And I am sure that even Marc is not thinking about it.”
“Marc is of course someone with experience. He is very fast and is not an easy opponent, neither is Martin. That is clear. But if it were easy, anyone could do it. If I didn’t want this pressure, I would have worked in my father’s workshop. Instead, I try to be a racer. That just comes with it,” said Bezzecchi.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t go as we had hoped,” “Bez” refers to his bitter Misano crash and looks ahead: “What happened now we have to try to leave behind us. We have to try to take the positive from the weekend as a whole. The good thing is that it continues directly in Austria now. Let’s roll up our sleeves and try to do our best.”
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