LORENZO SAYS HE WARNED APRILIA ABOUT BEZZECCHI’S RISK OF COSTLY ERRORS
6 Nov 2026·
Jorge Lorenzo says he cautioned Aprilia early in the 2026 MotoGP season that Marco Bezzecchi’s mistakes could cost the Italian a title challenge, despite the team having a bike capable of winning the championship.
The three-time world champion recalled meeting Aprilia technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini over coffee at the season-opening round in Thailand. “Looking at how your bike handles in the corners, if Bezzecchi doesn’t make any mistakes and finishes the races, you’ll win the world championship, 100%,” Lorenzo said he told him.
Lorenzo believed the Aprilia had an advantage over the Ducati in its cornering performance. He described it as very light, exceptionally well-handling and capable of an impressive lean angle. “With my experience, it was clear,” he said, adding that the bike was technically superior to the Ducati.
But Bezzecchi’s season was repeatedly disrupted by errors and incidents. He crashed at the opening round, and his campaign later unravelled further. At the Czech Grand Prix in June, he was removed from the event after appearing to slap a marshal during qualifying. That was also the last round at which he led the championship. A crash at Assen followed, then a high-speed accident left him unable to compete at the German Grand Prix. By the Sachsenring weekend, he had gone four consecutive Grand Prix rounds without scoring.
Meanwhile, Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez continued to collect points and pull away in the title fight. Lorenzo said he had warned Aprilia that Bezzecchi needed to avoid mistakes, but the incidents he feared came to pass. “Instead, Bezzecchi crashed out in the opening round, and further high-profile incidents followed,” he said.
The championship picture now leaves Marquez in position to secure the 2026 title in Qatar. He needs to outscore Martin by 30 points and Bezzecchi by eight this weekend to claim an eighth MotoGP crown. Martin is dealing with an injury, while Bezzecchi has not recently shown he can recover the ground he has lost.
Lorenzo’s assessment was that Aprilia had the machinery to fight for the championship, but Bezzecchi’s mistakes prevented that potential from being realised.