Marco Bezzecchi has had a difficult start to life at Aprilia in 2025. It has not been the smoothest of transitions from Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team.
The Italian had spent his entire MotoGP career with the VR46 team since joining the premier class in 2022. Bezzecchi enjoyed great success in 2023, winning three races and finishing third in the standings.
| Season | Races | Wins | Podiums | Poles | FL | Points | Pos. |
| 2022 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 111 | 14th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 329 | 3rd |
| 2024 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 153 | 12th |
After a disappointing 2024 campaign, the 26-year-old made the switch to Aprilia as VR46 signed Franco Morbidelli. While there has been some promise, Bezzecchi has been struggling to adapt.
It has been a miserable start to the season for Aprilia, with Jorge Martin’s torrid time with injuries in 2025. Things have not been much better on track as they sit bottom of the constructors’ championship after five races.
Rookie Ai Ogura has been arguably Aprilia’s top rider with some outstanding performances for Trackhouse. Meanwhile, Bezzecchi is having difficulties on the RS-GP25 as he sits ninth in the standings.
Finishing 14th last time out at Jerez, it is clear the Italian needs to make changes. Former boss and seven-time MotoGP champion Rossi has sought to give a helping hand.
Aprilia have restricted Valentino Rossi from viewing their data to help Marco Bezzecchi
Bezzecchi and Rossi have a close relationship, with the former having raced for VR46 since his Moto2 days back in 2020 before joining Aprilia.
Rossi is always on hand to help his riders when he attends Grand Prix weekends – he was seen giving Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio constructive feedback in Qatar. This remains the same for his former riders.
Last week’s test at Jerez was the perfect chance for Aprilia and Bezzecchi to test out new components and solve their issues. Rossi has looked to give some advice to the 26-year-old, but of course, the exact details of how he can help are limited.
Bezzecchi was asked by the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com about Rossi’s impact on him since joining Aprilia. He was cryptic with his answer when asked if the MotoGP legend had viewed his data.
“Yes, of course he spoke to Valentino during the Grand Prix. I can’t tell you everything Rossi does or what he has access to, but he’s given me some very good advice,” he said.
Aprilia have made it absolutely clear that ‘no one outside the team has access to the riders’ data.’ This is to be expected, especially given Bezzecchi is now at a rival team to VR46.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Marco Bezzecchi from net worth to race number
Aprilia have to make strong changes to find improvements in 2025
After such an underwhelming start to the season, Aprilia must quickly find solutions. The manufacturer has not finished inside the top five since Ogura achieved that feat in the season opener in Thailand.
Aprilia have ‘one shot’ to upgrade the bike with an aero update, which will help to mitigate their issues with stability. This will mean Martin will have a completely different bike when, or if, he returns in 2025.
Upgrades will also be music to his teammate’s ears. Bezzecchi is having difficulties with declarations on the RS-GP25, labelling them ‘brutal’ during the Jerez test.
Qualifying has also been a major problem for Bezzecchi as he faces ‘trouble’ stringing together one-lap pace. His performances on Sunday are more encouraging, but his displays on Saturdays are hampering his progression.
