Marco Bezzecchi
Marco Bezzecchi has the backing of Valentino Rossi as he heads into a title fight with Marc Marquez.
During his first season with Aprilia, Marco Bezzecchi secured three victories as an Aprilia Racing rider as he finished third in the 2025 MotoGP Championship.
Heading into his second season as an Aprilia rider, many expected Bezzecchi to become a consistent title fighter against the reigning MotoGP World Champion, Marc Marquez.
In the opening Grand Prix of the season in Thailand, Bezzecchi crashed from the lead in the Sprint Race and then Bezzecchi went on to secure victory on Sunday in the Grand Prix.
Bezzecchi sits second in the 2026 MotoGP Championship as the Italian heads to the Brazilian Grand Prix with a chance to take control of the standings.
Prove me wrong: Marco Bezzecchi will be Marc Marquez’s closest rival in 2026
Alex Barros backs Marco Bezzecchi in his fight for the 2026 title
Ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, former MotoGP rider Alex Barros was asked in an interview with Mundo Deportivo whether Marco Bezzecchi was ready to challenge Marc Marquez for the title.
The Brazilian rider stated that he believes the influence of Valentino Rossi will have helped prepare Bezzecchi for the 2026 season and his fight with Marquez.
Barros said, “I think Bezzecchi is a strong contender for the title; I knew this was going to happen even before the World Championship began. I thought Bezzecchi would start the season at least as strongly as he finished last year, and Aprilia, of course, has given him a bike; that slight difference he had (compared to Ducati) has been eliminated. So, with similar equipment and very evenly matched bikes, he has a chance. And another thing: Bezzecchi has Valentino behind him; we mustn’t forget that either – he’s one of Valentino’s riders.
“And then there’s the whole story of Valentino and Marc; we all know about that. I think he’ll be up there all year, unless something happens, like a crash. But on equal terms, I think he’ll be a rider who’s constantly fighting for wins throughout the championship.”
Marco Bezzecchi bounces back from his Sprint crash to win in Thailand! 😍 Is this the start of his title charge?
Valentino Rossi fears it’s ‘impossible’ for Bezzecchi to beat Marquez
During the MotoGP Hall of Fame Dinner that was filmed at the end of the 2025 season, Valentino Rossi discussed Bezzecchi’s chances of beating Marquez in 2026.
The Italian believes that his protégé will struggle to fight against Marquez, as the Aprilia is a ‘bit worse’ than the Ducati that Marquez had during the 2025 season.
Rossi said, “The Aprilia is a bit worse than the Ducati. So beating Marquez with a worse bike? Impossible.”
This was an opinion that was also shared by the 2003 World Superbike Champion, Neil Hodgson. During the filming of the Gas It Out podcast, Hodgson revealed he believed Bezzecchi had a ‘terrible’ Thailand Grand Prix.
Hodgson believes that Bezzecchi’s crash during the Sprint Race could result in the Italian from struggling to fight for the MotoGP title with Marquez.
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