Marco Bezzecchi’s Factory MotoGP Dream: Leaving VR46 and Valentino Rossi’s Blessing

Marco Bezzecchi: ‘Thankfully, Valentino got it; I was a bit scared!’

'We embraced, and he was thrilled for me, so luckily, he grasped the situation completely. To be honest, I was somewhat frightened!'

Marco Bezzecchi is set to realize his aspiration of joining a factory MotoGP team in 2025, following his agreement with Aprilia.

However, this marks the conclusion of a five-year period with Valentino Rossi's VR46 team, which started in Moto2 in 2020 and led to a move up to MotoGP in 2022.

Bezzecchi emerged as the standout performer in last year's top-tier racing season, securing three wins and finishing third in the world championship while riding a year-old Ducati.

The young Italian rider declined the opportunity to ride factory GP24s by switching to Pramac this season. This choice seemed to have backfired, as he has been struggling with the GP23 throughout the year.

Nonetheless, following Maverick Vinales' departure from Aprilia, the team aimed to recruit a local talent. Bezzecchi's impressive victory in India the previous year secured him the 2025 RS-GP spot next to Jorge Martin.

How did Rossi respond?

"Bezzecchi mentioned on Thursday at Assen that he had the chance to switch teams last year, but he chose to stay because he wanted to move only if it was to a full factory team."

“Last year, Ducati presented me with the opportunity to join the factory-supported Pramac team. It was an excellent offer, but I was uncertain if I would have the same rapport with the new team as I currently do.”

"This year was unique. I had the chance to transition from my team to a fully-supported factory team."

"Valentino and I are both somewhat saddened by this situation, but he is also very pleased for me."

"We had numerous conversations over the past few days and met up on Monday to watch the Italian football team. That was also the day when the Aprilia news was announced."

"We embraced, and he was genuinely pleased for me, so luckily he grasped everything. To be honest, I was a little scared!"

"However, he comprehended the situation and acted like a true friend, which made me really pleased."

Bezzecchi mentioned that last year, he wasn't explicitly told to stay and not join Pramac. Instead, he received an offer and chose to remain. The same approach was taken this year.

"I sought further guidance from him. I had another conversation and felt confident he would comprehend since he had experienced a similar situation in his career. He fully grasped my decision."

"Naturally, it was a challenging moment because I have a great connection with the VR46 team. However, I've always aspired to join a factory team since the start of my career, so this was my ultimate goal. He was pleased for me."

Becoming a factory rider will give Bezzecchi the opportunity to tailor a MotoGP bike to better suit his personal riding style.

"Being part of a factory team is a whole new experience. I have numerous friends there, including Pecco, Luca, and Frankie, who was once part of the team as well. When I talked to them, they shared several insights that will undoubtedly make a difference," he mentioned.

“To be frank, I'm uncertain about the specific tasks at present, but I'm eager to find out. The current support is undoubtedly solid, yet it will change, so we’ll observe how things develop.”

Last year's Assen Sprint victor, Bezzecchi, who also secured a second-place finish behind Francesco Bagnaia in the main race, comes back currently ranked eleventh in the world championship standings, having achieved a podium finish in Jerez this season.

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