Marco Bezzecchi admits battling with Marc Marquez in 2025 was really ‘cool’ for one reason

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Marco Bezzecchi went toe-to-toe with Marc Marquez during the second half of the 2025 MotoGP season, and the Italian rider has shared why he found some of their battles ‘cool’.

Having joined Aprilia ahead of the current year’s campaign, Marco Bezzecchi recorded the highest points tally of his premier class career as he snatched third place in the riders’ standings away from Francesco Bagnaia in the final rounds of the season.

The 27-year-old was the flag-bearer for Aprilia throughout the term, stepping up to the plate in the absence of Jorge Martin to refine the Italian constructor’s bike to a position where they could consistently compete for race wins.

MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa hailed Bezzecchi as the biggest surprise on the grid this season due to the calibre of results he achieved in the first year of his tenure with Aprilia.

After a 12th-place finish in the standings with the world-beating Ducati machinery in 2024, the Italian rider’s form this year was a question that was answered phenomenally.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez names the four rivals he thinks can win the 2026 MotoGP world championship

Marco Bezzecchi details what was ‘cool’ about battling against Marc Marquez in MotoGP this season

In a recent interview with MOW, Bezzecchi was asked a number of questions regarding his impressive debut season with Aprilia, as well as the on-grid rivals he raced against on the way to cementing his standing as the third-best rider of the year.

Bezzecchi’s breakout year as a team leader was overshadowed in the end by Marc Marquez’s sheer dominance with Ducati, but the 27-year-old sees it in a different light.

There used to be bad blood between Marquez and Bezzecchi, but nowadays, it’s all respect. Asked whether his previous feud with the Spaniard affected the way he raced him this year, Bezzecchi replied, “First of all, battling him is difficult.

“The faster he is, the harder it becomes to fight. This has definitely been the year he’s been strongest since I’ve been racing with him, because in his golden years with Honda, I wasn’t in MotoGP, and it was the first time for me.

“Unfortunately for us, he was very strong. Of course, it was also cool. Because anyway… he pushes you to do more, he pushes you to try. And you can make mistakes because you’re stuck, but you grow.

“He was definitely tough, and I only really beat him at Silverstone, but it must be said that I also pushed him a little further, and that was cool.”

READ MORE: Aleix Espargaro has just told Jorge Martin the biggest reason he can win the 2026 title with Aprilia

Marco Bezzecchi could take his battles with Marc Marquez in MotoGP one step further next year

It’s a good thing that Bezzecchi enjoyed his on-track battles with Marquez this season, as it’s looking increasingly likely that the two rivals will butt heads once again when racing resumes at the beginning of the 2026 MotoGP season.

Aprilia’s trajectory puts them on course to threaten Ducati’s six-year period of dominance in the constructors’ standings, and their rider line-up is more than capable of challenging for the riders’ title as well.

Bezzecchi has the backing of team boss Massimo Rivola, and with a year of experience atop Aprilia machinery already under his belt, all the signs are there for the Italian rider to dethrone his formerly bitter rival.

Having not earned the title of a world champion in any of the other Grand Prix motorcycle racing classes, it remains to be seen how Bezzecchi will fare once the pressure of a world title is applied to him.

Next season could be the perfect case study for the 27-year-old as he looks to get his first shot at it.