Marco Bezzecchi
Marco Bezzecchi will start a season as one of the favourites to win the MotoGP title in 2026, as the Aprilia rider looks to dethrone Ducati’s reigning champion Marc Marquez.
The 27-year-old enjoyed the best campaign of his career to date in 2025 after joining Aprilia on a two-year contract. Bezzecchi matched the third place in the 2023 riders’ standings that he achieved aboard a satellite Ducati at VR46 but surpassed his tally of 329 points with 353.
Bezzecchi built into the 2025 campaign after joining Aprilia, as he learnt how to optimise the RS-GP after spending the first three years of his MotoGP career riding Ducati Desmosedicis. His breakthrough result at Aprilia came when Bezzecchi won the British Grand Prix last May.
Aprilia finished 2025 with arguably the best bike in MotoGP, as well, as Bezzecchi ended the year with back-to-back wins in Portugal and Valencia. The Italian also secured Sprint wins in San Marino, Indonesia and Australia, where Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez won on the RS-GP.
Finish the sentence: Aprilia will win ___ Grands Prix in 2026
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Marco Bezzecchi believes it will be ‘key’ to not ‘dwell’ on Marc Marquez’s results
Marquez was in a different league to the rest of the MotoGP field last season, as he won the riders’ title in his first campaign for Ducati. A total of 11 Grand Prix wins, 15 podiums and 14 Sprint Race wins saw Marquez claim the 2025 MotoGP riders’ title with five rounds to spare.
READ MORE: Very early 2026 MotoGP predictions as Marc Marquez faces a new title rival
The 2025 champion’s campaign came to a premature end in round 18 of 22 when Bezzecchi took Marquez out on the first lap of the Indonesian Grand Prix. Marquez needed surgery for the shoulder injury he suffered after tumbling through the gravel at Mandalika last October.
Marquez is on course to return from injury well before the start of the 2026 MotoGP season in Thailand on March 1, ready to fight as the favourite for the title. Bezzecchi knows that the “key” for him to dethrone Marquez will be focusing on himself, and not the Spaniard’s form.
He told MARCA: “First of all, it’s not just about Ducati. It’s about all the manufacturers, all our rivals – both riders and brands.
“So, it’s clear that Marc Marquez has been very strong lately. And, consequently, so have Ducati, the bike he won with. But I wouldn’t dwell on that alone.
“In my opinion, we should focus on ourselves, on Aprilia, striving to give our best, improving every day, and always finding the right balance between being satisfied and having the hunger and desire to do more.
When do you think Marc Marquez will retire from MotoGP?
“Therefore, in my opinion, this is the key to always trying to improve. So, we shouldn’t make too many comparisons, because there isn’t much to compare. We just have to work hard and give our all. That’s our goal.”
Aprilia know Marco Bezzecchi is not yet the finished product
Aprilia know that Bezzecchi is not yet the finished product as he gets ready to fight Marquez for his first MotoGP title. The Rimini native emerged as a threat to Marquez too late in 2025 to fight for last season’s title, and he finished 138 points adrift of Francesco Bagnaia in 2023.
CEO Massimo Rivola believes Bezzecchi “must learn” to manage expectations, which will be the “final step” he needs to truly cement his status as a title contender. Bezzecchi only got a brief taste of what it feels like to be the favourite to take Grand Prix wins at the end of 2025.
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