BEZZECCHI CITES SPRINTS AS A WEAK SPOT IN HIS TITLE BID

Marco Bezzecchi’s 2026 title challenge faltered midway through the season, despite a dominant run that included five straight grand prix wins across the end of 2025 and the opening flyaway rounds of 2026. The Aprilia rider may have contributed to his own decline, but his victories showed he can still dominate.

Bezzecchi said he was happy with his season, which began with four grand prix victories in the first seven rounds. He had aimed to make a strong start after Aprilia struggled during the first half of the previous year, and said: “I wanted to start strong, and I started very strong.”

His title bid unravelled amid incidents between the Hungarian and German Grands Prix, with injury also affecting him. He has since returned to form, collecting several podiums and winning again in Indonesia and Qatar. His sixth grand prix victory of the season in Qatar came after a difficult mid-season spell, but he now trails championship leader Marc Marquez by 74 points. Bezzecchi remains mathematically in contention, though he needs to win the final four races and rely on Marquez failing to score.

The sprint format has been a particular weakness. Bezzecchi has yet to win a sprint this season, while Marquez has taken 10 sprint victories alongside seven Sunday wins. Bezzecchi acknowledged that the short races had held him back, but described the season as “fantastic” and said he would have accepted this outcome at the start of the year. “The sprints were a bit of my weak link,” he said, adding that experience would help him learn and improve.

He does not want sprint races removed, arguing that he should raise his own level instead. Bezzecchi has scored seven sprint podiums, but said small errors and bad luck had cost him. He also pointed to an unlucky clash with Marquez in the Qatar sprint. “I’d rather improve the sprints than eliminate them,” he said. “I have to improve too.”

Bezzecchi said he needed to iron out the details, while taking encouragement from his Qatar grand prix win. His focus, he added, was to enjoy the result, rest and return for the next round at Portimao.