MARCO BEZZECCHI VISITS KIMI ANTONELLI’S MERCEDES IN MONZA

Marco Bezzecchi made a surprise visit to the Mercedes Formula 1 garage at Monza this weekend, dropping by to see his fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli amid the noise of the “royal park.” The MotoGP rider arrived with Aprilia Racing boss Massimo Rivola and media contact Antonio Boselli in tow, and the meeting with Antonelli was described as friendly and straightforward despite the busy atmosphere.

The visit came as Antonelli, who is also a close associate of Valentino Rossi, continued his own Monza tribute theme. The Mercedes driver had already marked the occasion with a special helmet design paying homage to Rossi, and Bezzecchi’s stop included plenty of conversation about that concept as well.

According to the report, Bezzecchi first exchanged a few words with the Mercedes team before watching the session from the hospitality areas. After qualifying, he was given time to sit in Antonelli’s car and take a closer look at the cockpit, with plenty of joking along the way. Bezzecchi also got an explanation of the steering wheel functions, reacting to details that stood out to him: “The steering wheel would have seemed much heavier to me!” he said, adding that he was struck by the low weight of the control unit and by the fact that Antonelli is weighed before every session.

The VR46 rider was also impressed by the tightness of the cockpit. He noted that the Halo safety device above the cockpit appeared to affect the pilot’s view only minimally, and he found the process of getting out of the car to be a challenge. Still, he summed up his comfort with a smile: “On the bike I feel a little more at ease.”