Marco Bezzecchi
Marco Bezzecchi produced a phenomenal performance to register his second MotoGP victory of the 2025 season.
Aprilia’s unexpected lead rider has been one of the best signings on the grid this season. Without him, there’s no telling where they would be, with Lorenzo Savadori struggling, and Jorge Martin out for the majority of the campaign.
What it means for Bezzecchi is that the extra involvement should have helped him adjust faster to the team. He won’t have as much to learn in his second season, and that’s why he needs to be considered as one of the MotoGP title contenders for 2026.
Aprilia have suffered from Martin’s absence, and they might have been in an even stronger position if they had time to enjoy the champion’s feedback this year. Martin has been tipped to return in Valencia, just in time for the post-season test. It’s a vital part of developing their bike for next year.
READ MORE: Marco Bezzecchi makes ‘spectacular’ admission about whether Aprilia have a better bike than Ducati
Massimo Rivola ‘very confident’ in Marco Bezzecchi for 2026 after showing the right ‘attitude’
Massimo Rivola is the man who ‘revolutionised’ Aprilia, and the team wouldn’t be where they are today without him. Aleix Espargaro called him the best manager he ever had, and that’s coming from a rider with a huge wealth of experience.
When scouring the MotoGP rider market for their next acquisition last year, Rivola ‘couldn’t believe’ Aprilia got Martin, when Ducati opted to sign Marc Marquez for the factory team, instead.
It’s someone who Bezzecchi can work closely with next year, perhaps helping to raise his game to a new level. Rivola has now backed his ‘special’ Italian rider to go on and achieve more things in 2026, despite the expectations that will be on his shoulders.
“To be honest, I’ve always thought Marco was a special rider,” he told the Italian edition of Motorsport.com. “I was lucky, if anything, because last year he had a bad season, so no one expected it. And today it seems like a surprise.
“We’ll see how he performs next year, when there will be expectations placed on him. But I think that with his attitude, the way he works with us, he can only do well. So I’m very confident that next year can be better.”
Why Marco Bezzecchi is the favourite to win MotoGP races amid Marc Marquez absence
With Marquez grounded for the rest of 2025, it would be easy to suggest that his brother, who sits second in the riders’ standings, would be the most obvious choice to fill the void left by Marc.
However, he’s on an ageing GP24 machine, while Bezzecchi is benefitting from an RS-GP which has been worked on relentlessly.
On fast tracks, it’s the fastest bike on the grid, and elsewhere, they seem to be in contention better than ever.
Basically, as shown on Sunday, even when Alex Marquez is on form, the Aprilia is just a touch too quick to catch, which bodes well for them heading into 2026.
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