Massimo Rivola has not changed his view of the Marc Marquez–Marco Bezzecchi collision in the Qatar MotoGP sprint. The Aprilia CEO renewed his criticism of the way the FIM stewards handled the incident, which took place at Turn 1 on the fourth lap of Saturday’s sprint as the two riders fought for the lead.

Bezzecchi crashed out, while Marquez kept his Ducati upright and went on to win. That result gave Marquez a title match point for Sunday’s race and effectively removed Bezzecchi from the championship fight. The stewards classified the collision as a racing incident, a conclusion Rivola still rejects.

Why Rivola wanted more scrutiny

Rivola’s objection is not limited to the consequences of the contact. He is also unhappy that the incident was not investigated further. In his view, its importance to the championship justified hearing both riders and considering whether the appropriate outcome should have been a penalty or no further action.

He acknowledged that the stewards face a difficult task, but argued that the starting point should be clear: identifying who was predominantly responsible and who could have avoided the crash. The championship impact, however, is not itself a basis for the ruling. Stewarding decisions are assessed through the riders’ actions rather than the consequences produced by the incident.

Marquez defended his position by saying that he was using the racing line he had followed throughout the weekend. Bezzecchi was clearly behind him on corner entry, while the opposing interpretation was that the Ducati rider should have left more room. Rivola sees the sequence differently: he says Marquez followed his normal line and that Bezzecchi ended up in his path.