Marco Bezzecchi reveals how Valentino Rossi reacted upon telling him he wanted to leave VR46 for Aprilia

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Marco Bezzecchi spent the opening years of his MotoGP career with the VR46 Racing Team before his switch to Aprilia Racing ahead of the 2025 season.

Aprilia Racing entered 2025 with a completely new line-up to the season prior, with Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi taking over from Maverick Vinales and the retiring Aleix Espargaro.

This season hasn’t gone smoothly for the Italian team, however, with Martin’s contract situation hanging a dark cloud over the team in recent months.

Bezzecchi admitted that he doesn’t ‘care’ for the saga, and his results on track have shown with the Italian currently sitting fourth in the standings.

A win at Silverstone, where Bezzecchi capitalised on having ‘the best bike on the grid’, and a couple of second-place finishes have aided the 26-year-old’s ride as the leading Aprilia man in Martin’s absence.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Aprilia from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Valentino Rossi ‘supported’ Marco Bezzecchi in his exit from VR46 to Aprilia Racing

Speaking with Giovanni Zamagni about the move to Aprilia, Bezzecchi revealed, “It wasn’t easy, but at the same time, I was super motivated to take on a new challenge, not because I didn’t want to stay where I was, but because I really wanted to become an official rider.

“I have to say that Vale’s help and what he gave me swept away those doubts, the last doubts I had.” 

“Let’s say that obviously Vale would have liked me to stay there, it’s obvious because we’ve been together for many years and we’ve always got on very well,” the Italian continued.

“But, at the same time, seeing him happy for me and enthusiastic about such a proposal made me feel more comfortable because I was a little afraid of hurting his feelings.

“And that’s a beautiful thing. Instead, he supported me, he supported me a lot, and that was important to me. I had this curiosity, I had this desire to try, but I was still a little afraid of disappointing him. Instead, seeing that he was happy for me was fantastic, and so, in the end, I decided to give it a try.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Marco Bezzecchi from net worth to race number

What is Marco Bezzecchi’s contract situation at Aprilia Racing?

Bezzecchi signed a two-year deal with Aprilia Racing during June of 2024 after Maverick Vinales signed a deal with Tech3 for 2025. The deal is reportedly worth around £250,000 a year and completes their star-studded line-up alongside Martin.

The Italian constructor was keen to have a native rider on an RSGP-25 for the upcoming season, and so an emerging star in Bezzecchi was the perfect fit for Aprilia to mount a championship challenge.

Bezzecchi’s salary is considerably less than that of his teammate’s, with Martin reportedly earning something in the region of £3.5m a year.

However, with a MotoGP world championship already under his belt, it’s hard to argue against the difference in pay grades between the two riders.