Marco Bezzecchi admits when he knew his final season with VR46 would be ‘very difficult’

Add as preferred source on Google

Marco Bezzecchi endured a very difficult third and final season with VR46 Racing Team as he consistently scored points but failed to claim further Grand Prix wins.

The Italian rider battled in the top 10 in various Grand Prix throughout the season but his results took a huge dip from the highs of 2023. Bezzecchi came third in the 2023 MotoGP standings in just his second year after stepping up from Moto2 with VR46.

Bezzecchi was consistent and did enjoy a brief highlight at Jerez as he took third place in the Grand Prix of Spain, which turned out to be the three-time race winner’s only trip to the podium all year.

He has now left the VR46 team and Bezzecchi’s year-old satellite Ducati bike to join the factory Aprilia MotoGP team in search of more success next year after a tricky campaign.

Bezzecchi has also admitted that he knew 2024 was going to be a difficult year as early as pre-season testing in February, and has pinpointed how it dawned on him that his Ducati Desmosedici GP23 would be an issue.

Marco Bezzecchi knew 2024 would be tricky ‘since the first test’ in Sepang

Bezzechi has had a mixed career in MotoGP so far, with two slightly more difficult terms on either side of a competitive year in 2023 where the Italian took third place in the standings with 329 points – more than in 2022 (111) and 2024 (153) combined.

He also took three Grand Prix wins in 2023, which boosted the 26-year-old’s campaign despite riding a year-old Desmosedici GP22, and it was the first year he consistently raced at the front in the premier class.

READ MORE: 2025 MotoGP rider contract lengths and wages including Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati deal

So, after inheriting the Desmosedici GP23 on which factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia won the 2023 championship, Bezzecchi expected to maintain and further his competitiveness in 2024.

But the Rimini native has now explained to Crash how Bezzechi knew immediately during pre-season testing in Malaysia that what would be his final year with VR46 would be tricky.

He said: “Well, [it] was a very difficult season. I didn’t expect to struggle so much. But since the first test, I got a very difficult sensation on the bike.

“To make a comparison of my feelings on the bike from the Sepang test till now, the difference is huge.
“But the performance was not what I wanted of course. So, it was a very tough year. I will try to elaborate on everything, try to understand.”

Marco Bezzecchi could enjoy more success as a factory Aprilia MotoGP rider

Bezzechi moving the factory Aprilia MotoGP team may provide some success in 2025. But he will have to battle the new champion Jorge Martin within the same garage following the Spaniard’s move from Pramac.

Bezzecchi showed in 2023 that he can race at the front of the field, taking three wins that season, but he was a long way behind that year’s champion Bagnaia.

Aprilia’s new rider should also be able to learn a lot from his new teammate Martin, who beat Bagnaia to the title in 2024 during his most complete season to date after adding consistency to his sheer speed.

The Italian rider may benefit from having such a competitive teammate but Bezzecchi can’t afford to lose time getting overwhelmed with the pressure of matching Martin.

A good start to the season for Bezzecchi at the Grand Prix of Thailand and in Argentina should give him confidence as he settles into the new team.

Aprilia are an Italian team like Bezzechi, and also VR46, which may help him adjust as there will be no culture shock for their new rider heading into the 2025 season.