Valentino Rossi Discusses Marco Bezzecchi’s Struggles with Ducati GP23 and Future Move to Aprilia

Valentino Rossi: Marco Bezzecchi is facing a significant psychological challenge.

The 2023 Ducati model is somewhat challenging and temperamental.

Marco Bezzecchi’s choice to remain with the VR46 Ducati team in MotoGP last year hasn’t yielded the expected outcomes.

In 2023, Marco Bezzecchi secured three Grand Prix victories riding a VR46 Desmosedici GP22. Believing that staying on a year-old Ducati bike in 2024 would still deliver competitive outcomes, he aimed to perform well enough to potentially join Francesco Bagnaia in the official Ducati team by 2025. Consequently, he opted for VR46's GP23 for the 2024 season instead of moving to the Pramac team for a factory-spec GP24.

In the 2024 season, Bezzecchi has secured just one podium finish in the first 11 Grands Prix with the GP23. This shortfall in performance is attributed to his struggles in adapting to the 2023 Desmosedici.

Marco Bezzecchi has secured a spot on a factory team for the 2025 season, but it will be with Aprilia and not Ducati. He will be joining Jorge Martin on the Aprilia squad

Valentino Rossi, who owns the VR46 team and mentors Bezzecchi, has indicated that the challenges Bezzecchi is experiencing with the GP23 are not just technical but also psychological.

"He's facing a really tough mental state," Rossi shared with Sky Italia. "In the previous year, the older motorcycle model, the Desmosedici GP22, might have actually outperformed the newer GP23 model for a portion of the season. This meant that when everything aligned perfectly during a race weekend, victory was achievable."

"This year, despite having the older GP23 bike, Bezzecchi chose to remain with our team."

The 2023 model of the Ducati is somewhat challenging and temperamental. During the sprint race, it faced significant difficulties, ending up battling for the eighth position, which was tough.

“Our goal is to remain supportive and encourage him continuously so that he can achieve a positive outcome by the end.”

Bezzecchi's transition to Aprilia created a vacancy at VR46 for the 2025 season. This spot will be temporarily occupied by Franco Morbidelli, who is among the founding members of the VR46 Academy.

Rossi expressed his joy, saying, "We are extremely pleased to have Morbidelli on our team, as Franco is the first Academy rider since Marco Simoncelli."

"I am thrilled that he will be competing alongside us, and he is equally enthusiastic. I am also very pleased with our team for the upcoming year."

"There are two riders from Italy: Di Giannantonio is performing excellently and has a good relationship with Ducati, while Franco, who is also part of the Academy, is also noteworthy."

Franco Morbidelli's contract with VR46, which lasts only one year, is anticipated to pave the way for factory rider Fermin Aldeguer to potentially join in 2026, owing to VR46's upcoming status as Ducati's official satellite team next season.

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