MotoGP rookie Marco Bezzecchi experiences a difficult race in Thailand and is annoyed about the penalty for the manoeuvre in the first corner
VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi started from pole for the first time in a MotoGP race at the Thai Grand Prix. The Italian led the race after the start, but had to voluntarily give up his lead because he went off the track in turn 1. But when the track dried, things didn’t go well for Bezzecchi anyway. In the end he finished in 16th place and did not score any points.
Bezzecchi showed little understanding for the decision of the race organizers. “I don’t understand why I got the penalty. (Jorge) Martin touched me twice before the first corner and pushed me off the track. I didn’t have any space and I couldn’t get airborne. I don’t understand the decision of the stewards,” he grumbles.
“But even without the penalty the result wouldn’t have been different,” surmises Bezzecchi, who finished the race in 16th position outside the points.
“I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike at all. When the water on the track became less from the fifth lap, I started having problems with the front. It felt like the front wheel was folding in every corner,” he says of the reason for the result.
“It was very difficult for me to go faster. Of course I’m a bit disappointed, especially after a very good weekend. I was also very fast in the morning warm-up. But it is what it is. You can’t influence the weather,” said the Ducati rider.
In Thailand, Bezzecchi was once again the best rookie in terms of pure speed. He reached a milestone with pole. “It was a positive weekend because I was fast and showed that I am competitive in the dry. In the wet, unfortunately, that was not the case. We worked well though. From Friday to Saturday we managed a huge step. It was my first pole. That’s always something great,” Valentino Rossi’s protégé summarised.
