Marco Bezzecchi considers the absence of Jorge Martin from the Indonesian MotoGP as a somewhat positive development for himself and the Aprilia Racing team. Martin, the 2024 MotoGP World Champion, suffered a collarbone fracture during the Sprint at Motegi, Japan, last Saturday and will miss this weekend’s race in Mandalika due to injury.
After undergoing successful surgery on his collarbone earlier this week, Martin will not take part in the Indonesian Grand Prix and will not be replaced on the Aprilia lineup. While this represents a challenging period for the Aprilia squad, Bezzecchi views Martin’s absence as an unexpected opportunity to benefit from greater technical focus during the race weekend.
Bezzecchi Finds Silver Lining in Martin’s Absence
Speaking ahead of the Indonesian Grand Prix, Bezzecchi acknowledged that the team would lose some important data due to Martin’s absence, but he also anticipated having more direct support.
“For sure, the data to [look at] will be less, but at the end, for my side, I will have all the engineers for me,”
Bezzecchi said. He recognized the situation as a difficult one for the team overall but added,
“So, the bad moment, at the end, for me is a little bit positive as it was unfortunately in the beginning of the season.”
He emphasized the importance of capitalizing on challenging circumstances, stating,
“We have to try to take an advantage from every situation and I will try to do it.”
This mindset reflects his focus on making the best out of the current situation despite the setback for Aprilia Racing.
Recovery Progress Following Crash at Motegi
Bezzecchi himself was involved in the crash triggered by Martin’s incident during the Motegi Sprint, sustaining injuries to his right leg, neck, and back. Despite the complicated recovery process, Bezzecchi reported feeling improved as the weekend approached. He elaborated,
“Honestly, the foot was not the problem, was more the leg and the knee.”
He conveyed cautious optimism regarding his condition:
“But, anyway, I feel better, I feel overall a little bit better. These days were a bit complicated to try to recover as quick as possible. But feeling better and hopefully this will be better day-by-day during the weekend.”
Concluding on the matter of his readiness, Bezzecchi added,
“But until I riddle the bike, I don’t know. For the moment, it’s better, so we will see.”
Safety Concerns Raised Over Bagnaia’s Smoke Issue at Japanese GP
Bezzecchi also shared his perspective on an unusual situation from the Japanese Grand Prix, where he noticed unusual smoke on the track during the final laps. Initially, he thought the smoke was from Joan Mir’s bike, since Mir was immediately ahead of him. However, the source was actually Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati.
Although Bagnaia managed to win the race, Bezzecchi expressed concern about the safety implications of the situation.
“It was a strange situation, especially in terms of safety,”
he said. He explained that he repeatedly encountered the smoke cloud during the closing laps and only realized after reviewing the race footage that it was Bagnaia’s bike emitting the smoke.
“I didn’t know about anything inside the race, then [afterwards] I watched the race and I understood. For sure I was a bit surprised in terms of safety,”
Bezzecchi added, highlighting how unexpected and potentially hazardous the circumstance felt during the event.
Implications for Aprilia and Bezzecchi’s Championship Challenge
Martin’s injury and absence put Aprilia in a difficult position, losing their lead rider from the grid at a crucial point in the season. Despite this, Bezzecchi’s ability to leverage the increased support from engineers could prove pivotal to maintaining and improving Aprilia’s performance throughout the Indonesian MotoGP weekend. His gradual recovery from injury also reflects determination to remain competitive despite physical challenges.
At the same time, concerns around race safety, highlighted by the Bagnaia smoke incident, remind teams and organizers of the ongoing need to monitor mechanical reliability to protect rider well-being. As the season progresses, Aprilia will need to navigate both internal pressures and external uncertainties while pushing for strong results.
