Marco Bezzecchi’s Misano nightmare unfolded spectacularly as the Aprilia rider crashed out from the lead in front of his home crowd, handing Marc Márquez a decisive victory and the championship lead.
Despite securing pole position and showing strong form all weekend, Bezzecchi’s hopes were dashed in a dramatic turn during the MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix main race.
The Italian got off to a blistering start, leading cleanly through the first corner and beginning to pull away from Márquez. However, disaster struck at Turn 13, where Bezzecchi lost the front end of his bike after experiencing vibrations in the fast section between Turns 12 and 13. His crash ended his race prematurely and allowed Márquez to claim the win and ascend as the new championship leader.
Addressing the media post-race, Bezzecchi took full responsibility for the error, showing no attempt to deflect blame despite the obvious frustration. “Of course, I’m a bit sad because it was clearly a mistake on my part,” he admitted. “I had a good start and was managing the situation well. I felt vibrations in the fast zone between turns 12 and 13, and when I braked into Turn 13, I didn’t manage the line properly. I lost the front and crashed. It’s a shame because the team and I worked well all weekend. But Spielberg is next, and we’ll try to bounce back.”
He was quick to dismiss any suggestion that home pressure played a role in his mistake. “When you start first, you want to win, whether it’s at Misano or anywhere else,” Bezzecchi stated. “It’s tough, but you can’t go back. When you make a mistake, it means you pushed too hard. With a full tank, you have to better manage the braking point. I attacked as I could early on, doing what I thought was best, but of course, it’s a mistake. We’ll analyze the data and try to improve for Spielberg.”
Bezzecchi highlighted the positives amid the disappointment, pointing to his speed, qualifying, and sprint race performance as encouraging signs. “I also had a better start compared to yesterday. Yes, it hurts now, undeniably, but that’s how it goes sometimes. You have to focus less on the negative and more on the positive. Austria is just a few days away. We’re not giving up,” he concluded.
The San Marino GP results thus paint a harsh picture for Bezzecchi: pole to zero points, while Márquez capitalizes fully to shift the championship momentum. With Spielberg looming next on the calendar, Aprilia and their rider face urgent questions on how to convert pace into podiums without costly errors.