Bezzecchi (Aprilia) after finishing 3rd on Friday in Qatar: “That’s where I’m weak”

Marco Bezzecchi is now the clear underdog in the World Championship battle. The Aprilia rider must make up at least eight points on championship leader Marc Marquez during the MotoGP weekend in Qatar to remain mathematically in contention. At least during Friday’s opening session at the Lusail International Circuit, he was unable to edge ahead of the Ducati Lenovo riders from Spain. In both sessions, the rider from Rimini finished behind ‘MM93’: second in the first free practice session and third in the subsequent qualifying session. Still, Bezzecchi was the fastest Aprilia rider in both sessions, and direct qualification for Q2 on Saturday was merely a formality.

The World Championship bronze medallist believes he is on the right track: “We still have some work to do on individual fast laps, but when it comes to several laps in a row, as in the race, I can’t complain.” Rival Marc Márquez believes the 27-year-old is well-positioned on medium-hard tyres. Bezzecchi added: “I feel good on them, that’s true. On the soft tyres, however, it’s the opposite – I feel weak compared to the others.”

Dirt on the straights, plenty of grip in the corners

The track conditions came as a surprise to the Aprilia team: “There’s a lot of dirt on the straights. But I was impressed by the grip in the corners. When I said in the pits after the first lap in FP1 that we had plenty of grip, the mechanics looked at me in disbelief.” The rider with number 72 didn’t want to read too much into Friday’s impressions anyway: “We didn’t have enough laps. In practice, you have to focus too much on individual fast laps.”

A curious incident: on his return from a fast lap, the Italian missed his garage. “I was looking at the big screen at the side of the track whilst riding and missed the pit. When I heard familiar voices, I looked round, but my team were already out of reach.”

With the combative Jorge Martin in 7th place, it was a very successful day’s work in the desert for Aprilia Racing, despite Ducati leading the way.

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07.11.2026 - 10:25