Marco Bezzecchi
The MotoGP rider market has run rampant over the past seven days, and it appears as if Marco Bezzecchi may be welcoming a new teammate to the Aprilia box in 2027.
Aprilia’s current rider line-up was called into question after it emerged that Jorge Martin was finalising a deal to join Yamaha in 2027 following a disastrous tenure in Noale.
The news came after a report suggested that Fabio Quartararo was finalising his exit from Yamaha, in favour of the Japanese constructor’s most local rival, Honda.
With all the uncertainty happening up and down the MotoGP grid, Aprilia took the opportunity to announce that Marco Bezzecchi had extended his contract with the team for a further two campaigns.
However, there is still a question mark over who will be partnering with the #72 at the Italian constructor next, and Francesco Bagnaia’s name has cropped up a few times now.
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Marco Bezzecchi says it would be ‘cool’ to team up with Francesco Bagnaia at Aprilia in 2027
During an interview with MOW, Bezzecchi was asked for his current thoughts on the MotoGP rider market and fielded a question regarding who he would want Aprilia to bring in alongside him in 2027.
The six-time Grand Prix winner replied, “Look… I have no idea. Honestly, right now I’m fine with it. It’s a shame I didn’t have much time with Jorge.
“I hope everything goes well this year, even though I know it definitely will. But you know, it doesn’t change much for me. I have to do my part. So I do my part and let Rivola do the rest.”
Bagnaia emerged as a priority for Aprilia and Yamaha since it became clear that he is unlikely to extend his current deal with the factory Ducati team.
With the recent trajectory that Aprilia have been on, they have been identified as the ‘best option’ for Bagnaia by a rider agent who is very much intertwined with the daily goings-on between teams and riders.
Asked how he would feel if Bagnaia signed for Aprilia, Bezzecchi answered, “I don’t know. It’s also something that’s hard to say, because a thousand dynamics come into play afterwards.
“It would definitely be cool, because in the end, he’s a friend of mine. But it’s also a topic I can’t really get into, it doesn’t concern me, and it’s not my thing. I leave everything to those who do it for a living.”
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The Italian was also asked for his thoughts on the upcoming season of racing and whether anyone, including Aprilia, will be able to dethrone the ongoing dominance shown by Ducati.
Bezzecchi replied, “It’s hard to say now that we haven’t ridden yet, but it’s going to be a great season anyway. The level has already been very high since the end of last year.
“Marc is incredibly competitive because he won the world championship with many races to go and will start off strong right away. Then there are all the other Ducatis.
“Acosta is very strong, Vinales has been training like crazy all winter. I hope to be strong, the VR duo will be strong, Raul Fernandez will be fast, Ogura… damn, it’s hard not to mention a few. The ones I haven’t mentioned are still there.
“The Hondas, because Mir was fast at the end of the season, and Luca, if he hadn’t had his season-ending injury, would have grown more or less like Mir. Yamaha has been strong with the V4, and Toprak is there.”
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