Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi (3rd) “also wanted to attack Marc”

Marco Bezzecchi jumped into third place at the last moment in the MotoGP Sprint at the Sepang International Circuit. The Aprilia factory rider started from fifth on the grid and spent most of the race in fourth place, despite occasional light rain. In the closing stages, Bezzecchi managed to overtake his Aprilia team-mate Ai Ogura (Trackhouse) – a successful manoeuvre that put the 27-year-old Italian on the podium – and once again established Bezzecchi as the figurehead of the Aprilia project.

Following a crash by race leader Alex Márquez, VR46 protégé Bezzecchi was then lying in wait for a podium finish. “It was really, really tough right from the start, with lots of intense battles,” Bezzecchi noted. “I was then riding quite steadily in fifth place. I knew I could save a bit of energy, make a move at the end of the race, and I prepared myself for that.”

Marco Bezzecchi (3.) vor Markenkollege Ai Ogura (4.)

Foto: Gold and Goose

‘Bez’s’ strategy then seemed to pay off almost completely. “Then the rain got heavier, and the others had problems towards the end. I caught up with the riders in front of me and was closing in. I wanted to attack Marc, but it wasn’t quite enough. I didn’t get close to him early enough.”

Bezzecchi was nevertheless able to look back positively: “I’m very happy with the podium, though. We need to focus on tomorrow’s GP race now.” With the points from the sprint, Bezzecchi has reduced the gap to his injured team-mate Jorge Martín to 33 points. This also ensures that Bezzecchi will, in any case, leave Malaysia in third place in the standings.

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01.11.2026 - 03:35