Watch the violent crash between Marco Bezzecchi and Maverick Vinales during the Australian MotoGP Sprint at Phillip Island.
The incident unfolded in the closing laps of the race, marking a significant moment in what was otherwise a thrilling contest dominated by Jorge Martin. As the race neared its conclusion, tensions were high, and both riders were fiercely competing for position, leading to a catastrophic collision.
The crash happened as Maverick Vinales attempted to regain ground after having lost positions earlier in the race. He had just overtaken Bezzecchi on the main straight with two laps remaining, showcasing his determination to climb back up the leaderboard.
However, as they approached Turn 1, known as the Doohan corner—one of the fastest and most challenging sections of the track—things took a turn for the worse. The Aprilia rider had previously tried to pass the VR46 Ducati at this very corner but had braked too late, losing his chance to maintain position.
Undeterred, he regrouped and made another attempt to overtake Marco Bezzecchi just before entering the braking zone. In a critical moment that would define the race, Bezzecchi found himself in Viñales’ slipstream as they approached Turn 1.
Unfortunately for Bezzecchi, the slipstreaming led to a miscalculation; he locked up his front wheel and lost control of his bike resulting to a high speed crash which sent both riders tumbling through the gravel trap.
The aftermath of the crash was concerning but ultimately fortunate as both riders were confirmed to be conscious immediately following the incident. However, Bezzecchi required medical attention and was taken away on a stretcher for further examination, while Viñales headed to the medical center as well.
Reports indicated that although Bezzecchi suffered significant impact and was initially unresponsive in the gravel for several seconds, he did not sustain any fractures. He was later airlifted to a hospital in Melbourne for additional checks.
Viñales expressed frustration regarding Bezzecchi’s actions. In post-race comments, he accused Bezzecchi of not braking properly and essentially crashing into him without regard for safety.
“I’m quite ok, I was just a little bit afraid that I hit the nerve and my hand was sleepy, so I couldn’t feel it,” Maverick Vinales told TNT Sports after the Australian MotoGP Sprint. “I have some bruises. For sure when you crash at this speed, you always have pain so for tomorrow it’s going to be tough.
“From my point of view I saw it back again, I don’t know, I think he didn’t even brake, he just hit me from the back. Di Giannantonio was behind, he braked on the point where you need to brake.
“I feel maybe he wanted to overtake me again from the inside, the stewards will decide. But the problem was that if a steward steps in to say that he was, maybe next time I don’t even brake too so we’ll see.
“I don’t know, after this episode if nothing strong is done, I mean by the stewards or by the championship, allowing us to just go lift the brake and hit everyone, so we’ll see.
“I’m okay, this is racing and I agree to have contact but there is contact and there is contact. It’s just a shame because I think we could have been P4 in the Sprint for sure, we were fast, we’re going to try tomorrow.
“Let’s see how I wake up because I feel very sore but I think tomorrow we have a good opportunity.”
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