Aprilia Finds Formula to Prevent Marco Bezzecchi's Mistakes

Pulse Sports Team 10:07 - 27 August 2026

Aprilia has disclosed that they have ceased putting undue pressure on Marco Bezzecchi to ensure he avoids repeating the errors that have hampered his MotoGP title challenge this year.

Bezzecchi hit one of the lowest points of his career this season, as a series of mistakes derailed his campaign and damaged his championship standing. The Italian falters when he tries to do too much, and Aprilia is now urging him to adopt a more relaxed approach to longer races.

While his retirement from the Hungarian Grand Prix was not his fault, the incident with the marshal in Brno that led to a race ban, a poor weekend in Assen, and a double injury at the Sachsenring tested both his mental and physical resilience.

During this challenging period, Aprilia continued to back the ten-time race winner, helping him get back on his feet and revive his title bid with a double podium at the British Grand Prix earlier this month. Team Manager Paolo Bonora revealed that he now understands why Bezzecchi is prone to making mistakes and is actively working to ensure he has the right mindset for the remaining 10 races of the season.

"We need to look after Marco in the long races, so he can be more relaxed and we don't put any pressure on him. He needs to try to be part of the game without aiming to win every time. We're not setting any expectations for him. We're not putting more pressure on him. We saw that he made some mistakes when he felt he had great potential, where he showed he could set the fastest lap, that he had something in reserve. He probably tried to do more than necessary in the first part of the race. So, we need to address that," Bonora stated.

Bezzecchi began the 2026 season as a title favorite, with victories in Buriram, Goiania, and Austin giving him a significant championship lead, despite dropping points in sprint races. He returned to the top step of the podium with a dominant performance on home soil at Mugello before his season began to unravel at Balaton Park.

His return at Silverstone, where he was still not fully recovered, allowed him to reclaim second place in the standings, 31 points behind his teammate Jorge Martin. Bonora said that Aprilia never lost faith in Bezzecchi over the past few months and consistently reminded the Italian that the team believed in him.

"I like to tell him that he is the same Marco we loved in Mugello. He is the same [rider] and just needs to manage his energy. That's the only way," Bonora commented.