Valentino Rossi has cast doubt on Marco Bezzecchi’s MotoGP title chances despite the Aprilia rider’s impressive form. Bezeci won three Grands Prix in a row.
Only two other riders on the current grid have managed that feat – Mark Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia. Bezeci won two of those races while Marquez was injured late in 2025, but the Ducati rider had no answer to his pace in Thailand.
Neil Hodgson called Bezcic’s weekend ‘terrible’ Because he fell out of the sprint race and probably blew the win, but at least he changed pole position in the Grand Prix. He was widely seen as the biggest threat to Marquez during the winter, and he immediately accepted that mantle.
Valentino Rossi pessimistic about Marco Bezecchi’s chances of the title
From all Rossi Academy graduates, Bezechichi It’s called ‘the one who trains the most’. The Italian doubled his premier-class win in three weekends.
Bagnaia says Ducati are no longer fast. After a disappointing performance in Thailand where all four Aprilia bikes finished in the top five. But many put this down to the Michelin rear wheel bearing, which is only available on very hot circuits.
Marquez is still not fully fit after the aforementioned injury, and is still expected to re-establish Ducati atop the MotoGP hierarchy once his recovery is complete.
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If the GP26 continues to be the best bike, then Rossi Bezcicci agrees with Aprilia but doesn’t see how he can win the title.
“The most qualified person at the moment is Bezeci,” he said at a dinner party. MotoGP’s Hall of Fame Riders, filmed last year and released this week. “He coaches a lot. He’s focused, he wants to win.”
“In my opinion, he did a great job. But the Apria is a little worse than the Ducati. So it’s not possible to beat Marquez with a worse bike? It’s impossible.
“You know something about him? He’s very sensitive when giving feedback to the engineers, because he has a very aggressive riding style, but he knows what the bike does. That was important to Aprilia.”
Aprilia told him to sacrifice George Martin to help Marco Bezecic’s title chances.
It should be noted that Bezeci is not leading the championship after Buriram and Pedro Acosta has a seven-point lead. Acosta won the sprint – his first MotoGP victory by any description – and then finished second in the main event.
Alberto Puig says Acosta has a ‘special’ talent. In the same bracket as Marquez and Rossi, but there are still some doubts about KTM. Unlike the Aprilia, they were able to race for victory with flash.
One advantage for Acosta, if his title credentials are genuine, is that the rest of the KTM riders appear to have him covered.
Marco Melandri asked Aprilia to be the first Bezecic On the outgoing George Martin, however, the 2024 World Championship may be too soon to implement that arrangement. Martin is expected to join Yamaha next year, with Bagnaya replacing him.
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