Marco Bezzecchi

Triple VR46 MotoGP race winner Marco Bezzecchi gets his factory chance in 2025 when he joins the official Aprilia team, alongside reigning champion Jorge Martin.

Marco Bezzecchi - Route to MotoGP

After wild-card Moto3 appearances in 2015 and 2016, Bezzecchi made his full-time grand prix debut with CIP Mahindra team in 2017, celebrating a debut podium at Motegi during an otherwise difficult season.

A switch to PrustelGP and KTM for the following season brought almost instant success and Bezzecchi battled for the championship on his way to third overall and three wins.

But a move to Moto2 with Tech3 KTM halted his progress and he slumped to just 23rd in the standings. But VR46, which has backed Bezzecchi throughout his career, kept faith and moved the young Italian into their own Kalex team for 2020.

'Bez' celebrated two wins, seven podiums and fourth in the world championship and was expected to be a firm title contender for 2021. Ultimately Bezzecchi was left to salvage third behind dominant Ajo team-mates Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, before being chosen by VR46 to complete its new MotoGP team line-up.

Marco Bezzecchi in MotoGP

VR46 Ducati (2022-2024)

While team-mate Luca Marini had the latest GP22 machines, Bezzecchi ran GP21s for his rookie MotoGP season - but soon emerged as the stand-out newcomer. 

His highlights included a podium at Assen and pole position in Buriram on his way to 14th in the world championship.

Bezzecchi, like Marini, then rode the ex-world championship-winning GP22 bike during a brilliant 2023 season when he gave the VR46 team its first three MotoGP wins on the way to third in the standings behind only factory-spec riders Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.

If Bezzecchi could continue his trajectory, he would be firmly in the 2024 title fight... Instead, he struggled on the GP23, the characteristics of which didn’t play to his natural strengths. 

A podium at Jerez, VR46’s only silverware of the season, proved a false dawn and Bezzecchi found himself outside of the world championship top ten and last of the Ducati riders.

The Italian’s poor form had many questioning the wisdom of turning down a GP24 seat at Pramac in favour of remaining loyal to VR46. But Aprilia had longer memories and, with Maverick Vinales departing for KTM, picked Bezzecchi for 2025.