Marco Bezzecchi’s pole position at Mugello evaporated within the opening turn of the Italian Grand Prix sprint, relegating him to fourth place and allowing Jorge Martin to trim his lead in the MotoGP championship to 12 points.
Race‑start error reshapes the sprint
The Aprilia rider admitted that an overly early brake application at the first corner caused an immediate loss of momentum, dropping him to sixth on lap 1. Although he passed LCR’s Diogo Moreira and the defending champion Marc Marquez in the subsequent laps, his pace never threatened the podium finishers, and he settled for fourth.
“I simply braked too early in the first corner; it was a miscalculation,” Bezzecchi explained. “From that moment I knew the sprint was out of reach, so I maximised what I could, and fourth was the best possible result.”
Tyre strategy decides the top three
Race winner Raul Fernandez and championship contender Jorge Martin both elected Michelin’s medium rear compound, a choice that proved decisive. The medium tyre’s longevity allowed them to pull away, while third‑place finisher Fabio di Giannantonio, the sole rider on softs among the leaders, finished over three seconds behind the winner. Bezzecchi, also on mediums, trailed di Giannantonio by an additional second.
When asked how the result might have differed without the first‑corner mistake, Bezzecchi replied, “The race was a bit worse because of the mistake in the first corner rather than the tyre choice. But you will never know.”
Championship pressure ahead of the 23‑lap Grand Prix
Having started the 2026 season with three straight victories, Bezzecchi now faces three winless weekends as Martin narrows the points gap. Looking ahead to Sunday’s full‑distance race, the 27‑year‑old said the longer format favours soft tyres for their superior grip, yet he remains uncertain about the optimal setup.
“With a longer race the pace will be a little slower, so the soft has some clear advantage over the medium,” he noted. “We will analyse everything in the box to try to make the best decision for us.”
Photo credit: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
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