Marco Bezzecchi admitted after Friday’s MotoGP Australian Grand Prix that his back condition was “worse than expected” following his crash with Marc Marquez.
The Aprilia factory rider heads into the Phillip Island round with two long lap penalties due to a collision with world champion Marc Marquez at the Indonesian Grand Prix.
Although Marco Bezzecchi left without any serious injuries, he is still suffering from the after-effects of the accident, especially in his lower back.
After finishing Friday’s practice at Phillip Island with a new record, Bezzecchi admitted: “We expected it to be a little better, especially in the afternoon.
“But I felt a little bit of pain. This course has a lot of left-hand corners.
“So we spent a lot of time driving around to pick them up.
“I’m struggling in that area, but I’m also struggling a little bit with the braking when I get up. I hope it’ll be better tomorrow, but I was already expecting it to be better.”
Can Bezzecchi overcome his penalty and win in Australia?
Bezzecchi’s penalty was a huge blow to his hopes of winning as his one-lap speed was combined with strong race pace at Friday’s Australian Grand Prix.
He practiced with long lap loops and was 2.6 seconds slower, but is cautious about predicting what could happen at the Grand Prix.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“First, let’s think about tomorrow, because tomorrow is a normal day after all.
“So we’re focused and trying to get a decent qualifying, and then the sprint is next. Then we’re going to focus on Sunday and do our best.”
“As always, we have to try to fight for the first two rows, because that is the key. A lot of riders are soft and fast in the rear, so let’s try to improve even more for tomorrow.”
Regarding the new rap record, he added: “It was very good. I have to say that my dash was a little slow.
“I was just happy. The best thing for me was that the bike felt good. I had fun that day and felt good overall in the morning. So it was positive.”