They haven’t caught him yet. The Bez speeds by, ineffable, always elusive. This time they had also moved him back, relegated two positions with a penalty for slowing down Marc Marquez in qualifying. And then Marco Bezzecchi started from the second row. He would have to give up the record for consecutive laps in the lead, he had imagined. Between the last two GPs of 2025 and the first two of this year he had totaled 101. In 2015 Jorge Lorenzo had reached 103. Too bad, we thought, he was only missing 2. Because no one doubted his chances of victory, but that he could close the first lap in the lead, starting from the second row, we hadn’t considered that. And instead in just a few corners he summed up his superiority, his ambitions, his mastery of the Aprilia and of the situation. He set an ideal line, leaving Pecco Bagnaia and poleman Fabio Digiannantonio immediately behind. Only Pedro Acosta, among those on the front row, managed to sprint ahead of him. But for a little while, for less than that full lap which would have made the record vanish. It’s unlikely that Bez thought about that, but it doesn’t matter what he thought about or not, what matters is that he went on the attack. Acosta cut wide at 11 and he immediately jumped in. With even a contact that made our hearts skip a beat. Bez bounced, took the lead and off he went. There he remained, until the end of a race that began last November in Portugal and has not yet ended. In total they make 121 consecutive laps, all in the lead. Without rivals.
Aprilia confirmations There were two doubts that could act as mitigating factors for the others: the tire and the track. In Thailand and Brazil, Michelin had proposed a different casing than usual, which was known to be particularly appreciated by the Aprilia in general and the Bez in particular. Here, here we went back to the ordinary one and we saw the result. A triumph for Noale that only a few days ago would have made one’s eyes pop. Because for Marco, for Jorge Martin in second and for the Aprilia all gloating over the amazing double, everything went so well that they forgot they were in Austin. That is where Marc Marquez had won seven times. In this sense the US GP was a kind of test. It was what he should have told us if something had really changed compared to the immutable and indisputable MonoMarquez of 2025. The answer is in the arrival orders. In that of Sprint, in that of yesterday. You agree that Aprilia, with both riders, has taken not a step, but a dive forward. And now the data is consolidated. The bike flies, and Bezzecchi, when he puts the medium tire on the rear on Sunday, becomes unapproachable. For this reason, the words of Martin, very good at climbing from 7th to 2nd, yet resigned, are even more relevant than his: «Marco was unbeatable today, he was truly on another level». It was for him and even more so for everyone else. For Acosta, capable, with that Ktm, of leaving the Ducati off the podium. For Di Giannantonio, fourth despite the pole. And for Marc Marquez, fifth at the end. Attention: MM93 had to serve a long lap penalty for the accident with Diggia in the Sprint. But when he did it he was seventh. That is, the feeling is that he could certainly have aspired to something more, but not to undermine the Bez. A Bez at the end beaming with joy and relief. As in Buriram, in addition to pace, agility, determination and speed, he had the strength not to be crushed by fear and guilt. «I’m very happy – he said – because on Saturday I made a damn mistake, which didn’t fit. I threw away the Sprint, and I was dejected, for this I thank the team who stood by me and recharged me.” For the Aprilia double and a legendary Italian Formula 1-MotoGP double (last precedent 23 years ago: 6 April 2003, Fisichella at Interlagos, Rossi at Suzuka). «As soon as I woke up I looked at how the F.1 GP had gone, I saw that Kimi had won, I wrote to him immediately. And his good luck also encouraged me.” From one continent to another an amazing Italy. Leading the two World Championships.
