Marco Bezzecchi found himself at the centre of controversy during the 2026 Czech Grand Prix weekend after an angry exchange with track marshals earned him a suspension from Sunday’s main race.
The Italian crashed out of the Brno Sprint before appearing to push and strike marshals who were attempting to assist him. Race stewards later handed the Aprilia rider a Grand Prix suspension, making it one of the strongest penalties imposed for rider conduct towards marshals in recent MotoGP history.
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While such incidents remain rare in MotoGP, Bezzecchi is not the first rider to face disciplinary action following confrontations with marshals or failures to comply with their instructions. Here are three previous examples.
Fabio Quartararo (2025 French Grand Prix)
The Yamaha rider landed in trouble after disobeying instructions from marshals following a crash at his home race. Stewards later imposed a €2,000 fine and barred Quartararo from the opening 10 minutes of the first practice session at the subsequent British Grand Prix.
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Franco Morbidelli (2025 Catalan Grand Prix)
Morbidelli endured a difficult weekend in Barcelona as he received a penalty for causing a collision during the Sprint before crashing again in Sunday’s race. Following the second incident, stewards ruled that the VR46 rider had failed to comply with instructions from track marshals. He subsequently received a €2,000 fine and a 10-minute suspension from the opening practice session at the following San Marino Grand Prix.
Marco Bezzecchi (2022 Valencia Grand Prix)
The Brno controversy was not Bezzecchi’s first altercation with marshals. After crashing during practice at Valencia in his rookie MotoGP season, the Italian confronted a marshal while his Ducati was on fire. Television footage showed Bezzecchi grabbing and pushing the official as he attempted to deal with the situation. Stewards later fined him €1,000 for the incident.
