Marco Bezzecchi’s fury was unmistakable in the Aprilia garage after a heated clash with Ai Ogura at the Malaysian Grand Prix, a pivotal moment that derailed Aprilia’s fading title ambitions in Sepang. With teammate Jorge Martin sidelined by injury from Phillip Island, Bezzecchi was the last hope for the factory squad to challenge Marc Marquez and the leading pack. Yet, instead of advancing, Bezzecchi slipped back to sixth and ignited controversy with his encounter against Ogura.
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The drama unfolded as Bezzecchi launched an aggressive bid for a podium finish but faltered, initially dropping to fourth behind Pedro Acosta and Alex Marquez. The pressure intensified when Ogura, riding for Trackhouse, closed in and attempted an overtake on lap 17 at turn one. The collision that followed saw Ogura’s aero component ripped off, but he managed to squeeze past Bezzecchi, claiming fourth place in a move that appeared to defy any presumed team orders.
Despite Aprilia’s general reluctance to impose team directives,
Despite Aprilia’s general reluctance to impose team directives, reports from Motorsport.com’s Spanish edition revealed that Ogura was not bound by restrictions at Sepang. Nonetheless, Ogura seemed hesitant to fully challenge Bezzecchi on track, a nuance captured by MotoGP cameras showing the Italian rider “very angry” in the garage post-race.
Reflecting on the incident, Ogura admitted fault, stating, “Going into Turn one, I think he knew I was trying to overtake him. He braked quite hard and opened up a bit. I thought I could get past him on that corner. But I didn’t expect him to try to take the apex again. I thought he’d stick to his line and head into Turn two. It was a misunderstanding on my part. As for the contact, it was my fault.” When asked about communicating with Aprilia, Ogura confirmed, “No, but I’ll go and see Marco myself later to apologise.”
Bezzecchi, speaking to Sky Sports Italy, acknowledged Ogura’s pace advantage but lamented the risky contact: “Ai was faster, but the contact could have been avoided; we both risked crashing. I’m not one to complain; everything went smoothly, and that’s fine. Team orders? I don’t want to get into that kind of controversy. I didn’t expect to suffer so much with the front-end wear. After three-four laps in Alex’s slipstream, I wasn’t feeling the front end and I risked crashing out at every corner.”
The situation worsened for Bezzecchi when, after losing
The situation worsened for Bezzecchi when, after losing fourth to Ogura, he was overtaken by Enea Bastianini on the final lap following a wide run at the penultimate corner. These costly mistakes are increasingly frequent for a rider with undeniable speed, raising serious questions about Bezzecchi’s championship credentials if such errors persist.
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