Look, nobody expected Aprilia to easily conquer Sepang, but Marco Bezzecchi's Sunday in Malaysia turned into a proper struggle. As Motorsport.com Italia reports, the rider from Rimini managed to cling to podium hopes for just over half the race before tyre wear caught up with him entirely, resulting in a sixth-place finish that practically spells the end of his title aspirations alongside Marc Marquez's victory.
"I struggled a bit more than I expected," Bezzecchi admitted to journalists at the track, noting high front tyre temperatures and degradation that forced a desperate attack on Alex Marquez before he had to shift to a defensive driving style that ultimately destroyed his rear rubber as well. Even so, the Aprilia Racing machine showed a massive step forward compared to last year's suffering on the same circuit.
I'm not happy, this is clear, because anyway I was hoping to do more,
The race also brought a dramatic late-race clash for fourth position with Ai Ogura. The Trackhouse Racing rider made contact with Bezzecchi at turn 1 with a couple of laps to go, though the Italian brushed off any controversy. "I think he would have overtaken me anyway a couple of corners later, just like he did at the end," Bezzecchi said, adding that while the contact could have been avoided to prevent a double crash, no apology was truly necessary between friends.
That sixth place leaves Bezzecchi facing a daunting 67-point deficit to Marc Marquez with the mathematical trapdoor looming if the Ducati rider scores 8 more points in Qatar. Realistically, the dream is hanging by a thread, but the Aprilia man refuses to throw in the towel. "As long as the numbers are not against us, I will keep believing," he vowed, looking ahead to the next round despite Aprilia's previous struggles at Lusail.
Reflecting on his season, Bezzecchi acknowledged that he has been hunting for that early-season explosiveness ever since recovering from his injury and crashes. Yet, he leaves Malaysia without anger, choosing instead to focus on the incredible work done by the factory in contrast to last year's misery. "I'm not happy, this is clear, because anyway I was hoping to do more," he said. "Cerco di guardare il positivo, che comunque c'è."
MotoGP
MotoGP
