Marco Bezzecchi pinpoints where Aprilia MotoGP bike “doesn’t accept how I ride”
Factory Aprilia rider reflects on debut with team in Thai GP
Marco Bezzecchi says he is “paying” for a lack time attack runs in MotoGP testing as the Aprilia “doesn’t accept how I ride” when “I have to ride more by instinct”.
The three-time grand prix winner did a fine job in the pre-season to help Aprilia prepare for the 2025 campaign in the absence of reigning world champion Jorge Martin.
Bezzecchi qualified his RS-GP eighth at the Thai Grand Prix and completed the top six in Sunday’s race.
He says that result was exactly how he expected his first race weekend on the Aprilia to go, but admits he is being held back currently in qualifying trim.
Marco Bezzecchi details Aprilia problem
“At the end, it’s not better, not worse,” he said.
“It’s almost how I expected to begin the season. To be honest, I wanted to do better in qualifying.
“Still in time attack I’m not the best.
“I didn’t try many time attacks in testing because of the items to try, so we didn’t concentrate on that and I think I’m paying a bit for this lack of time attacks in testing.
“It’s the point where I have to improve the most.
“I think when I have to ride even more by instinct like I’m used to doing in the past years, the bike doesn’t always accept how I ride in time attack.
“So, this is why I make some small mistakes.”
Bezzecchi was denied the chance to register a double points finish in Thailand after wheelspin off the line in the sprint dropped him to the back of the field, and he could no more than 12th as a result.
His charge in the grand prix was also hindered by extreme front tyre temperatures, which stopped him advancing up the order as quickly as he would have liked.
“The start was ok, fortunately, and from that point it was completely another story,” he said of his grand prix.
“It was tough anyway because being behind some bikes puts everything really hot, especially the front tyre that from the beginning was over temp.
“I had the alarms on the dash through all the race. Also when I passed Jack [Miller], I had free space in front, I spent four laps trying to remove the alarms from the dash.
“But anyway, some positive points. I wanted to get in front of Jack and Raul [Fernandez] earlier, but I wasn’t fast enough to immediately overtake.”
A notable issue on the Aprilia in recent years has been the heat generated by the bike when ambient conditions are extreme. But Bezzecchi said he expected worse based on what past Aprilia riders had said.
“Really, really good to be honest,” he said of the heat on the bike.
“It was hot, of course, it’s bullshit if I say not. But it was nothing crazy compared to the other bikes.
“I expected hearing the comments from Aleix [Espargaro] and Maverick [Vinales] in the last years much, much worse.
“Or I’m very fit or the bike is very fresh. One of the two. I think the second!”
Quotes provided by Crash MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren
