Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola Dismisses Marc Marquez's Team Orders Claims

Massimo Rivola fired a blunt barb at Marc Marquez after a clash over team tactics at Sepang.

The Aprilia Racing CEO dismissed the eight-time world champion’s complaints regarding team orders during the MotoGP Malaysia sprint race, Juara.net reported.

The friction began when Aprilia factory rider Marco Bezzecchi overtook satellite teammate Ai Ogura on the final laps to claim third place. Marquez suggested afterward that Ogura intentionally blocked him to protect Bezzecchi’s championship points, according to otomotif.kompas.com.

APRILIA BALIK MENYERANG! MARC MARQUEZ DAN ALEX MARQUEZ DITUDUH PUNYA KESEPAKATAN TERSEMBUNYI

“Ogura berusaha tetap berada di depan saya karena jika tidak, dia tahu akan kehilangan podium,” Marquez said, as cited by otomotif.kompas.com. “Dia tidak bisa berada di antara saya dan Bezzecchi karena itu akan membuat Bezzecchi kehilangan poin.”

Rivola brushed off the accusations from the Ducati star and pointed back to an internal dynamic within the Marquez family. The Aprilia executive recalled the closing laps of the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, where Alex Marquez admitted he chose not to risk a dangerous move to overtake his brother Marc for the win, otomotif.kompas.com reported.

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“Sejujurnya, apa yang dikatakan Marc tidak terlalu menarik bagi saya,” Rivola said to DAZN, according to Juara.net. “Selain itu, saya pikir mereka memainkan permainan tim di rumah, bersama keluarga mereka.”

That restraint in Australia cost Jorge Martin critical points in the title fight, keeping Marc’s gap larger than it would have been otherwise. Martin missed the Sepang round due to a wrist injury, leaving Bezzecchi to trail Marc by 67 points heading into the season finale.

“Hubungan antara Marc dan seluruh tim, dari Gigi hingga para mekanik, ditandai keterbukaan yang tulus mengenai semua persoalan,” Tardozzi said, according to GPOne.com. “Marc selalu menjelaskan kondisi fisiknya kepada kami sejelas mungkin.”

Marc Marquez enters the final round at Lusail International Circuit with a 44-point lead over Martin. Ducati management maintains that family ties between Marc and Alex simplify rather than complicate garage instructions.