Marco Bezzecchi left the MotorLand Aragon sprint with a defeat that still leaves questions about whether a firmer start could have turned a third‑place finish into a win.
Young rider’s candid assessment
Bezzecchi, who surprised the field with a circuit record lap and pole position, admitted that the first corner was his biggest weakness.
“If I had kept the lead, it might have helped, but I still didn’t have enough pace,” he said. “The Marquez brothers pushed harder.” His statement echoes a consistent acknowledgement: the Ducati duo were quicker despite his optimal soft rear tyre.
Tyre choice and field strategy
Only Bezzecchi and teammate Jorge Martin opted for the softer Michelin rear tyre. Cooperating with the scrapyard whispering that the medium compound would perform better, Bezzecchi explained, “I felt comfortable on the soft and it worked well all day.” He described confidence that the softer option might pin him back, though he conceded it could have been more difficult.
The rest of the grid settled on the more durable medium. After the sprint, the impact of that decision lifted the RS‑GP, the Aprilia racing machine, closer to the Marquez‑led MotoGP class.
Aragon fight‑in‑detail
The opening lap saw Bezzecchi ignite the power but slip at Turn 1 when Marc Marquez out‑braked him, leaving the Spaniard on short legs. Alex Marquez capitalised from the slow line through Turn 2 and prevented a counter‑attack.
Even with a blistering soft rear tyre, Bezzecchi could not close the gap. Unreserved, he told reporters that track position “would have given me a better chance of a first sprint win this season,” highlighting that the Aprilia RS‑GP had never recorded a victory at Aragon—a circuit dominated by the Marquez brothers, who have claimed seven victories there.
On Saturday, Bezzecchi extracted additional laps to shrink the gap to Martin in the title contest, describing the experience as “tricky but enjoyable” and expressing optimism for the final day of the race weekend.
With the MS‑GP having previously confirmed that RS‑GP lacked competitiveness, Bezzecchi remains motivated, anticipating that tighter racing on the Calendar Saturday might finally propel him into podium contention next season.
"