Marco Bezzecchi
Marco Bezzecchi will be keen to go two steps further in MotoGP next season, after equalling his best finish in the championship this year.
The Italian rider claimed multiple victories in his debut season with Aprilia and made some good progress.
They didn’t expect Bezzecchi to be thrust into such a vital role so soon into his first campaign, but Jorge Martin’s injury situation gave them little choice.
Now, it looks as though he has the potential to be a true MotoGP title contender, particularly with Ducati currently facing a bit of a difficult period.
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Aprilia have moved for Fabio Quartararo, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll be dropping the man they relied on so heavily this year.
Even teammate Martin was ‘surprised’ by Bezzecchi this season, and didn’t expect him to be reaching the podium as much as he did.
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Marco Bezzecchi says he will ‘have to’ work harder to beat Marc Marquez
Bezzecchi found battling Marc Marquez ‘cool’ in 2025, and the two actually managed to improve their relationship while fighting at the front.
Not only is that pretty rare, but it helped when Bezzecchi accidentally took Marquez out of the Indonesian Grand Prix, leaving him with severe injuries and sidelining him for the rest of the year.
Marquez should be back in time for the start of 2026, but Bezzecchi already knows what he must do if he wants to beat him soon.
A Marc Marquez beater?
“He’s a very strong rider, he’s in top form, and he was mentally very motivated to win again,” he told SPEEDWEEK. “Last year, he had a great season after changing bikes. When you feel good, work hard, and things are going well, you’re on the right track.
“We’ll see; working hard this winter will certainly help, that’s beyond question. You have to work hard both physically and mentally, and the team and Aprilia also have to work well. Winter is a time when you need a bit of rest, but as soon as the doors open, you have to be ready.
“Perhaps you even have to be ready beforehand. Then you have to be present at the races and, above all, make as few mistakes as possible.”
READ MORE: Why Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia are now ready to challenge Marc Marquez for the 2026 MotoGP title
Why Marco Bezzecchi is in the best position to challenge Marc Marquez in 2026
After their impressive development, Aprilia are now competitive on all sorts of circuits. In the first half of 2025, they really struggled a bit.
The summer break was a real turning point for them, and only being strong on high-speed tracks wasn’t so much of a thing anymore.
Now, they’re quick everywhere, which will frighten Ducati. The GP25 missed the mark, and a big part of their winning reason was the rider on their bike.
They need to make sure that the GP26 is a genuine improvement, or risk ending up behind their competitors for the first time in years.
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