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Marco Bezzecchi believes it will be "strange" to partner with Pecco Bagnaia at the factory Aprilia team for the 2027 MotoGP season.
Ahead of last month's Dutch Grand Prix, Aprilia announced they had signed Bagnaia for the upcoming season, ending months of speculation. Aprilia also confirmed that the two-time world champion had inked an impressive four-year deal with the Noale manufacturer.
To date, Bagnaia has exclusively raced Ducati machinery in MotoGP, having debuted with Pramac in 2019 as the reigning Moto2 champion.
Bezzecchi and Bagnaia are long-time friends, having grown up together in the VR46 rider academy. He admitted that partnering with Bagnaia next year would be a "strange" experience.
"I'm happy, of course, for him, for the team, for the factory," Bezzecchi stated in Assen after the news of Bagnaia's signing. "He's, I think, very cool, but honestly, it will be strange to share the garage because, in the end, we have always been rivals and will continue to be, but we've never been so close throughout the entire weekend. But anyway, I'm very, very happy. So I'm also pleased with the current situation at Aprilia because the mood in the garage is very good. My relationship with Jorge [Martin] is also very good, and we've built a great atmosphere in the garage," concluded the former championship leader in the premier class.
Bagnaia will take Martin's place in the factory Aprilia team next season, as the 2024 world champion will move to Yamaha alongside Ai Ogura. Ducati, in turn, has brought in Pedro Acosta from KTM as Bagnaia's replacement.
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