Marco Bezzecchi remained calm after making contact with fellow Aprilia rider Ai Ogura during the Malaysian Grand Prix, despite another difficult race that further weakened his MotoGP championship hopes.
The incident occurred at Turn 1 during the closing stages at Sepang, when Ogura attempted a move on the factory Aprilia rider. The contact was minor, but the moment added to a season that has already seen several clashes involving Aprilia's riders.
Ogura, who competes for the satellite Trackhouse team, accepted responsibility for the incident, admitting that he had misjudged Bezzecchi's line.
"I misunderstood from my side. About the contact, it's my bad," Ogura said, adding that he intended to apologise personally to Bezzecchi.
Bezzecchi, however, appeared unfazed by the encounter. The Italian acknowledged that Ogura had been faster during that phase of the race and believed the Japanese rider would have passed him regardless.
Source: Asian Motorsport
"Ai was faster than me in that moment. I think that he would have passed me anyway a couple of corners later," Bezzecchi explained.
The contact was not the biggest setback for Bezzecchi at Sepang, as tyre degradation played a more significant role in his late-race struggles. The Italian experienced considerable wear on both the front and rear tyres, making it increasingly difficult to defend his position against the chasing riders.
His difficulties eventually allowed Enea Bastianini to move ahead on the final lap after Bezzecchi made a mistake, leaving the Aprilia rider to finish sixth.
Marc Marquez's victory also dealt another major blow to Bezzecchi's championship ambitions, with the Ducati rider extending his advantage in the standings and moving closer to securing the title.
Unlike his more serious clash with Jorge Martin in Hungary earlier this season, the Sepang incident appeared to leave little tension between Bezzecchi and Ogura.
With tyre management and race pace proving more pressing concerns, Bezzecchi seemed more focused on understanding his difficult race than dwelling on the contact with his fellow Aprilia rider.
