Following his commanding Sprint victory at the Indonesian MotoGP, Marco Bezzecchi is viewed by Alex Marquez as virtually unstoppable. Marquez, reflecting on Bezzecchi’s performance, emphasized the Italian rider’s remarkable speed and consistency during the race weekend, indicating that only a mistake might prevent Bezzecchi from continuing his dominance.
Bezzecchi’s Sprint Victory Demonstrates Impressive Comeback
Marco Bezzecchi’s Sprint win was marked by a dramatic comeback after an initial setback. Despite dropping to eighth place on the first lap, Bezzecchi closed a 2.4-second gap to race leader Fermin Aldeguer in the final six laps and overtook him on the last lap to secure victory by just a few tenths of a second. Throughout the weekend, Bezzecchi maintained control over the competition, setting a new lap record during qualifying and earning pole position.
His commanding pace left a strong impression on Aldeguer’s Aprilia Racing teammate, Alex Marquez. Marquez acknowledged that unless Bezzecchi errs, he seems unstoppable on Sunday’s race. Highlighting Bezzecchi’s level of confidence and speed, Marquez said,
“Here it is impossible to stop Bezzecchi, just the one that can stop him is himself, so make a mistake or something like that,”
Alex Marquez stated.
Marquez observed that Bezzecchi’s exceptional speed is especially apparent in the second sector, where he consistently gains advantages. This strong sector allows Bezzecchi to maintain patience and composure elsewhere on the circuit.
“When you are riding with a lot of confidence as he is riding it’s a thing that can happen, but for the rest he is super-fast, he is flying especially in sector two, and here when you have a really good sector two the rest of the track you can relax a little bit and be more patient,”
Marquez explained.
Marquez continued,
“It looks like they have another pace.”
Anticipating Bezzecchi’s Strength at Upcoming Races
Alex Marquez, currently second in the MotoGP championship standings, also projected that Bezzecchi will be a formidable competitor in the next Grand Prix rounds, including Australia. Despite trailing Marquez by 92 points this season, Bezzecchi’s performances signal a growing threat moving forward.
Marquez elaborated on the qualities of Bezzecchi and the Aprilia bike’s potential advantage on fast circuits, citing previous experiences such as Misano.
“Also, Bezzecchi will be super-fast for sure in Australia because it’s really fast and it looks like in the fast corners – I already saw it in Misano – the Aprilia has something more,”
Marquez said, adding,
“It’s something that we need to improve.”
Marquez’s Sprint Race Reflections and Challenges
In the Sprint race, Alex Marquez finished in fourth place after a relatively quiet run. He briefly followed Bezzecchi as the latter maneuvered through traffic, particularly around Luca Marini, but could not sustain that pace once Bezzecchi found open space.
While satisfied with the result, Marquez admitted that he struggled during the race, particularly due to issues with the soft rear tyre compound. He experienced crashes during both qualifying and the previous day’s sessions, complicating his confidence and grip on the bike.
Marquez remarked on his condition after the Sprint:
“So, the feeling was not good but I survived in the best mood. I think P4 today was the maximum.”
He also shared the team’s approach to tyre choices, explaining that with limited options before the race, they opted to maintain their bike’s setup and focus on finishing the race.
Tyre Strategy and Prospects for Sunday’s Full Race
Looking ahead to Sunday’s full-length race, Marquez believes his chances for a MotoGP podium would improve if the medium compound rear tyre is selected for the race. He compared the different tyre behaviors and acknowledged the advantage the soft compound has provided his teammate Aldeguer.
On tyre strategy, Marquez stated,
“I think that if tomorrow the race tyre is the medium then we have more options to be on the podium or to be more close to the podium; if it’s the soft then we will try to try something on the Warm Up to see if it’s going to be better,”
and added,
“We know where we need to go because we have Fermin [Aldeguer] there that is having a super-great pace – especially with the soft, [but not] with the medium – so we know where to go,”
followed by,
“So we will try to make something for the Warm Up and I feel that if [the race tyre is the medium] we are more ready.”
Marquez also discussed differences in bike setups within the team, examining why Aldeguer manages better grip with the soft compound.
“I think they have a slightly different base setup, but for always – with less grip, I will say like that, they go to the side that has less grip. Here it’s helping him, when he is putting the soft he can carry the speed in a good way, he can turn the bike, and the soft is a really good tyre here with a lot of grip.”
Pending a briefing with Ducati and Michelin, Marquez indicated that tyre selection would influence any last-minute adjustments to the bike.
“At the moment, we will wait a little bit to see the briefing of Ducati and Michelin to see which tyre is the tyre choice, the one that has more options for the tyre choice, and then we will decide if we will make some changes.”
New Developments in the MotoGP Championship
Alex Marquez’s comments highlight the competitive dynamics shaping this MotoGP season. With Marco Bezzecchi’s emerging speed and consistency, especially on fast circuits favored by the Aprilia machinery, the challenge for riders like Marquez intensifies. The upcoming rounds, including the Australian Grand Prix, will be critical in defining the ongoing championship battles.
Alex Marquez on Bezzecchi’s performance underlines the level of confidence and pace required to prevail at the front, emphasizing that only a rider’s own error could thwart Bezzecchi’s momentum. For Marquez, overcoming current tyre and setup challenges will be essential to remain a strong contender and close the points gap.
