ANTONELLI BACKS BEZZECCHI TO CHALLENGE FOR THE 2027 MOTOGP TITLE

Formula 1 champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli believes Marco Bezzecchi can return stronger and fight for the MotoGP title in 2027, after learning from his battle with Marc Marquez this season. Antonelli, who says Bezzecchi is one of his closest friends, also feels the Aprilia rider deserves to become champion.

“Despite everything, he had an incredible season,” Antonelli said, recalling Bezzecchi’s victory in Qatar. “It’s definitely not easy to fight against Marquez. But next year, even after talking to him, I think he’ll come back stronger. This year has taught him a lot.” Antonelli expects Bezzecchi and Aprilia to be competitive, while adding that he is superstitious and does not want to make predictions too confidently. The title is not yet mathematically decided, he noted, and “anything can happen.”

Two rounds remain in the 2026 championship, with Marquez leading on 431 points. Aprilia teammates Jorge Martin and Bezzecchi are second and third, on 371 and 350 respectively. Bezzecchi’s title hopes could end at the Portuguese Grand Prix: he must win the Sprint to stay in contention, while Marquez needs to outscore Martin by just two points in that race to put the title beyond Martin’s reach.

Bezzecchi has never won a world championship, and his best season-end result so far is third—the position he currently occupies. Yet his 2026 campaign has included six Grand Prix victories, second only to Marquez’s seven, and a series-leading five pole positions. He began the year strongly, winning in Thailand, Brazil and the United States before taking second in Spain and France.

The momentum shifted after Marquez returned from a two-race absence at Mugello, where Bezzecchi won the Italian Grand Prix. Marquez had been recovering from surgery to remove bent screws in his shoulder, which had affected his riding. From the following round in Hungary, Bezzecchi’s season was disrupted by a collision with Martin, crashes and injuries. He was banned from the Czech Grand Prix after slapping a marshal who was recovering his bike following a Sprint crash at Brno. He later crashed at Assen, then missed the German Grand Prix for collarbone surgery.

Bezzecchi’s results have since been mixed: he won in Indonesia but finished sixth in Malaysia, before taking victory in Qatar. He also won at Portimao and Valencia last year, results that helped launch his 2026 title challenge. Antonelli’s confidence in his friend’s prospects comes as MotoGP prepares to switch from 1,000cc to 850cc machinery in 2027. For now, Bezzecchi’s immediate task is to keep his championship hopes alive in Portugal, where Marquez could also move closer to a record-equalling eighth premier-class crown.