Having the best bike, two competitive riders, more than a hundred points advantage and being close to losing everything is not an easy pill to swallow for anyone, least of all for Massimo Rivola, the person responsible for the revolution at Aprilia and CEO of Aprilia Racing. First of all, it must be put on the table that, without a doubt, the work they have done in Noale is outstanding.
They have known how to take advantage of the advantages that the regulations gave them to achieve the most competitive motorcycle on most of the tracks. To this we must add that Marco Bezzecchi caused the fall that ended with Marc Márquez injured in Indonesia 2025, and with an injury that caused him to start with serious problems and for which he had to undergo surgery during the season. This situation was taken advantage of by Jorge Martín and, especially, Marco Bezzecchi, who for a long time was the leader of the championship, despite making serious mistakes in the Sprint Races.
In fact, if we are dealing with this issue right now, it is because of the controversy over the Sprint Race in Qatar, a controversy that Rivola himself has fueled from the beginning. Beyond the initial moment in which he avoided making statements, as the hours passed, the Italian not only has not reduced his pressure in this regard, but has begun to share a message that reminds us, in a way, of what we already saw in 2015.
The images show one thing, Rivola saw another
The repetition of the touch between Marc Márquez and Marco Bezzecchi 💥
The Aprilia rider ended up on the ground and the action without sanction for Marc #QatarGP 🇶🇦 #MotoGP 🏁 https://t.co/g1WMxTsrEw
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) November 7, 2026
As the images show, Bezzecchi’s route was different at that time. Marco tried to overtake Márquez at a point in Turn 1 that is unusual because, even though he is on the inside, he is outside the racing line. At that moment the Aprilia rider knew where Márquez was, but the Spaniard did not know where the Italian was and when he senses that he is arriving, Marc lifts the bike. That maneuver by Márquez prevented his fall by receiving the blow with a greater tire surface on the asphalt and a good dose of luck. But the impact, when taking a position with more angle to try to overtake, ends with Bezzecchi on the ground.
Really, analyzing the situation, Bezzecchi tried to overtake in an unusual place and it didn’t go well, something that sometimes happens in races, but he didn’t do anything wrong. Luck was on Marc’s side, who would have ended up on the ground with the Italian on the greatest number of occasions. Furthermore, Marco’s fall was “gentle” and did not cause any physical consequences. Now, Rivola’s words denote frustration for having let the title slip away, and give rise to the conspiracy of a part of the fans who, like the Italian, point to Márquez as the culprit.
In statements to Sky, he analyzed the number of points that Marco has lost in the Sprint but, in addition, he cleared his pupil of blame: “I would say that it is evident that we have too many Sprints. Years ago we would have been in a different position in the standings. That said, we have to learn to manage the weekend. Yesterday (Saturday’s crash) is different from other times: Marco is not to blame. So, honestly, I don’t think I have to say anything. It’s a shame that, when you have so much speed, you don’t get the full spoils.”
Then, he directly launched the accusation saying that Marc was the only one capable of avoiding contact, something that Marc tried without success, but that Rivola should not have had the opportunity to see but that, in addition, he analyzes from the point of view of motorsports: “I have dealt for many years with stewards in the world of four wheels,” he recalled. “The protocol, when there is an incident, immediately analyzes which of the two drivers has the greatest responsibility. To judge it, a simple question is asked: ‘Which of the two can avoid contact with the other?’. From there, responsibility begins to be assessed. You answer.”
Answering Rivola’s question is simple: the only one who is behind is the one who can avoid the impact, because he sees what is in front of him. It’s that simple, therefore and according to his words, perhaps it should have been Bezzecchi who should have been sanctioned.
We have also seen similar conclusions on networks. A sterile polarization but one that is very much an unfinished chapter in the Rossi-Márquez rivalry. We must not forget that Bezzecchi is a VR46 driver, like Fabio Di Giannantonio, who even blamed Marc for his action even though he was on the same route! On the other hand, thousands of fans and even Jorge Martín who would have been the great beneficiary of a sanction to Marc (responding to Di Giannantonio) pointed to his teammate.
Di Giannantonio to Marc Márquez, after his accident with Bezzecchi 🔥
🗣️ »You have to pay attention before closing the line like this»
#MotoGP #QatarGP https://t.co/yNbkfjo6JZ
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) November 8, 2026
In any case, it is a shame that they seek to tarnish an exciting championship in this way, where Marc has managed to recover points from the two Aprilia riders, giving a twist to what we all thought was going to happen, and where Rivola’s pupils have given us spectacular performances.
