MotoGP, Bezzecchi frank after the Catalan GP: “I wasn’t fast, but we saved the weekend”

The Aprilia rider analyses one of the toughest races of the season: feeling problems, insufficient pace and a race run with the World Championship mainly in mind

Marco Bezzecchi makes no excuses. After a Grand Prix of Catalonia spent constantly on the back foot, the Aprilia rider chose the path of absolute honesty to describe a weekend that was complicated from every point of view. In Barcelona, the Romagnolo never managed to find the right balance with the RS-GP and, despite a final result that was still important in championship terms, the feelings remain far from those of the best weekends of the season.

The words spoken after the race perfectly capture the state of mind of the Aprilia leader: “I wasn’t fast at all”. A simple, direct, almost brutal phrase in its honesty, but one that also confirms the maturity the Italian rider has reached in handling the toughest situations.

The Catalan GP, in fact, was not the classic weekend dominated by outright speed. It was rather a race of technical and mental survival, in which Bezzecchi had to limit the problems, contain the mistakes and collect as much as possible on a very complicated Sunday.

Aprilia in trouble at Montmeló: lack of feeling with the front

Bezzecchi: “I couldn’t ride as I wanted to”

From free practice onwards, the Italian rider had made it clear that something was not working as expected. The feeling with the front end of the RS-GP was never consistent and, lap after lap, the situation worsened instead of improving.

The main problem seemed to be linked above all to cornering speed and stability under the hardest braking, two fundamental aspects on a technical circuit like Montmeló. Bezzecchi explained several times that he could not really attack, often forced to ride defensively without being able to exploit the bike’s usual potential.

In the Aprilia pits, work went on for a long time on the balance and electronics, but no changes managed to radically transform the behaviour of the RS-GP. Even in the Sprint Race, number 72 had highlighted significant difficulties in tyre management and in maintaining consistent pace.

The feeling shared by the pits was clear: in Catalonia there was a lack of that natural confidence that in previous races had allowed Bezzecchi to be one of the benchmarks in the class.

MotoGP Catalonia: Bezzecchi saves precious points for the World Championship

A race handled with the clarity of a mature rider

If, in terms of performance, the Catalan weekend cannot satisfy Aprilia, on the management front the balance changes completely. Precisely in the most difficult moments, in fact, Bezzecchi probably showed the most evolved side of his MotoGP journey.

In previous years the Romagnolo might have tried to push beyond the limit, increasing the risk of mistakes or crashes. This time, however, he chose a different approach, more rational and focused on the championship.

The rider himself admitted that the most positive aspect of the weekend was having “minimised the mistakes”. A statement that is worth almost as much as a podium in title terms, because it shows how much Bezzecchi now thinks like a real title contender.

In an increasingly balanced MotoGP, championships are built even on negative days. And the Catalan GP could prove far more important than what the simple final standings suggest.

Ducati remains the benchmark, but Aprilia continues to grow

Marquez and Bagnaia watch the title fight

The difficulties encountered by Aprilia in Barcelona inevitably reignited the technical comparison with Ducati, still regarded as the most complete bike on the grid. Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia remain fully involved in the title chase and watch every tiny drop in their rivals’ form closely.

And yet, it is precisely in the most complicated weekends that the real growth of the Aprilia project emerges. Until a few years ago, a race like the Catalan one would probably have triggered a technical and mental crisis. Today, instead, the team of Noale still manages to remain competitive even without having the perfect package.

Bezzecchi also continues to inspire great confidence around him. His ability to analyse the technical side, combined with much clearer race management, is one of the aspects making the biggest impression in the MotoGP paddock.

Aprilia looks ahead: the target remains the MotoGP title

After Barcelona, the focus is already on the next favourable circuits

With the difficult Catalan weekend now behind them, within Aprilia there is the belief that the potential shown in previous races has not suddenly disappeared. The Italian team remains convinced it can immediately return to being competitive on tracks better suited to the RS-GP’s characteristics.

Bezzecchi too, despite the disappointment, kept a very clear tone in his analyses, avoiding any alarmism. The MotoGP World Championship remains wide open and the season is still long, but days like the one in Barcelona could weigh enormously in the final fight.

Because when speed is lacking, still collecting important points becomes the clearest sign of the maturity of a rider ready to fight for the title to the last race.