"You Came After All": Bezzecchi Taunts Marquez as MotoGP's Qatar Press Conference Ends After One Question

MotoGP's troubled build-up to the Qatar Grand Prix took another strange turn on Thursday, when the official pre-event press conference lasted a single question. Ducati rider Marc Marquez, who can clinch an eighth world championship this weekend, was asked whether he was worried to be in Qatar. "I would like to be in another place, but for that reason I arrive on the latest flight possible and I will leave on the earliest flight possible," he replied. "But, we are here, ready to race, and fully concentrated." With that, the press conference was over. The tension had been set before it began. Marco Bezzecchi, believed to be one of very few riders in favour of racing in Qatar, greeted Marquez with a dig: "You came after all. All that fuss, but you're here in the end." Marquez shot back that there was no other way, "otherwise, they'd have given you free points," later adding that he ultimately had to honour his contract, a pointed remark given the threat of sanctions from MotoGP. Most of the grid had opposed racing in Qatar, sending a letter to the championship promoter during last weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix. Yamaha withdrew its factory team and satellite squad Pramac a week ago, cutting the grid to 20 riders, broadcaster TNT Sports chose to report remotely, and the Lusail circuit issued emergency shelter guidelines on the eve of the race. Marquez's teammate Francesco Bagnaia admitted he was "a bit worried" but said he had decided to trust Dorna, the organisers and the government. Practice for the Grand Prix of Qatar begins on Friday.