Motogp, interview Marco Bezzecchi: objectives with Aprilia, RS-GP26 motorbike, 2026 season

From the snow of Livigno, home of the Dainese Snow Demons 2025, at the Sky studios in Milan, where the team Aprilia Racing presented the RS-GP26 with which Marco Bezzecchi And Jorge Martin will compete in the next season of the world championship MotoGP. In particular, the rider from Rimini has just returned from a turning point season, becoming one of the points of reference for the Noale company. The transition to a profoundly renewed bike immediately put him to the test, forcing him to question himself and find a new balance between riding style, technical development and results. A role made even more central by the injuries of Martinwho transferred a significant part of the sporting and development responsibilities onto his shoulders. A complex situation, which has removed certainties but restored awareness. Bezzecchi found himself working closely with the engineers, honing his analysis and communication skills, progressively transforming himself not only into a fast driver, but also into a technical reference for the team. A tough and precious formative experience, which accelerated his growth on and off the track.

The Bez he is not a man of proclamations or easy enthusiasm. Lucid and direct, fully aware of the very high level of MotoGP current, recognizes Marc Marquez as a point of reference, without however giving up the ambition to fight for important goals. “I’m happy to finally talk about motorbikes again. I really want to get started and we still have a lot of work to do, even if in reality we have never stopped: in Noale the company is working intensely and I am training continuously”. He respects every opponent and tries to learn from every duel, with a mature approach that reflects the driver he is becoming. “The motivation is great, I can’t wait to have fun on the bike again. The 2025 season finale was very positive and this gives us further confidence: the goal is to start in the best possible way immediately and continue to do a good job.”

He was one of the great protagonists of the 2025 season: how much of his adaptation to the new RS-GP and how much of the evolution of the project?
“These are two things that definitely go hand in hand. The bike was new, so I knew I would have to adapt and, at the same time, we worked a lot to make it grow and improve it during the season.”​

Having ridden the best versions of Ducati and Aprilia, what are the main strengths, weaknesses and aspects you focused on?
“They are two very different bikes, so it is practically impossible to make a direct comparison. The Aprilia is a bike on which I have worked a lot and which we have developed a lot together with the technicians. For my riding characteristics it is fantastic. Clearly there is always something to improve and we must continue to work to make further steps forward, but overall it is a fairly complete bike.”

After such a convincing championship finish, do you feel ready to aspire to the world title?
​”It’s definitely too early to say. Marquez will undoubtedly be the super favourite, given the way he won the title this year. However, we will try to start from where we finished, or in any case to start again in the best possible way, to have another good season and try to fight for something important.”

Was there an opponent who took away your sleep or a driver who you particularly respected for his talent? What did you learn from him or vice versa?
​”In MotoGP all the opponents are tough. There isn’t one in particular that takes away your sleep, but you have to respect them all. At the same time you always try to take something from everyone: when you fight on the track with someone, you always try to spy on their best qualities and try to make them yours.”

In 2025 Aprilia had focused on the Bezzecchi-Martin couple, but after injuries and tensions related to contracts, many responsibilities fell on them. How did you experience this situation: opportunity or discomfort?
“It was certainly an inconvenience, especially for the team, even more than for me. I could still ride the motorbike, while Jorge couldn’t, this had a great influence on the work of the team and the engineers. I suffered from it especially in the development phase, because I found myself alone but, at the same time, it was also an advantage: I had a lot of attention from the engineers, who focused a lot on me. I had time to test the bike well and to be as precise as possible in communicating my sensations. Things are go like this and we will never know how they could have gone differently. I still consider myself lucky for this opportunity: it was not easy, but I learned a lot and it was both a negative and positive experience.”