Jorge Martin: I hope Aprilia defends me in the same way as Marco Bezzecchi after marshal incident

11 hours ago 6

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Jorge Martin says he understands why Aprilia came out to defend Marco Bezzecchi after his aggression towards a marshal, and hopes the Italian manufacturer will do the same for him if he faced a similar situation.

At the Hungarian GP, Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola openly criticised Martin after he triggerred a major crash at the start that took out him and team-mate Bezzecchi, among others.

The damage, especially Bezzecchi’s zero score, led Rivola to suggest that the double long lap penalties he received for causing a collision was too lenient. “I would not disagree if the penalty had been harsher. This is not the behaviour a world champion should have,” the Italian said at the time.

Two weeks later, however, he was much less sharp with Bezzecchi, who was excluded from Sunday’s race after slapping a marshal twice after they unintentionally revved the engine of his bike while trying to lift it from the ground.

On this occasion, Rivola condemned his rider’s behaviour while, at the same time, justifying the decision to appeal, considering the suspension from the race as excessive punishment.

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images

Asked about the contrast between the criterion applied to him and to his team-mate in less than two weeks, Martin simply asked Aprilia to stand by him with the same forcefulness with which it backed Bezzecchi, in the event that he loses his temper.

“What happened yesterday, in a moment of anger, could happen to me too. In fact, I already experienced it in Montmelo,” said the 2024 world champion, referring to the shove he gave to Aprilia team manager Paolo Bonora during the Catalan Grand Prix.

“What is clear is that, after that penalty, I don’t think something like that will happen to Marco again, that’s for sure,” added the Madrid rider, who was asked to compare the attitude shown by Rivola with the one he had after the pile-up that he himself caused in Hungary.

“Yesterday, I saw the team’s reaction with Marco, and if one day it happens to me, which I hope it doesn’t, I only hope that the team stands up for me in the same way they did for him.

“What we saw yesterday is something we had never seen before, and I hope my team comes out to defend me as it did with him, because that is why it is my team.”