MotoGP | Bezzecchi back to having fun, but “still riding on problems”

The GP23 has proven to be a tricky bike for several riders, starting last year it had already caused some of the riders who used it to struggle and this year the story has repeated itself with the “satellite” teams, who have inherited what is, however, the world champion bike. Among the riders who have struggled with the 2023 Ducati is Marco Bezzecchi, who has not had an explosive first part of the season as expected at the start of the year.

However, it seems that the situation is slowly improving, because the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team rider finished the Austrian Grand Prix with a smile. Up until now, he has only one podium in his 2024 list, achieved in Jerez de la Frontera, but the sensations he had at the Red Bull Ring this weekend equaled, if not surpassed, those of last May in Spain.

The rider from Viserba appeared happy and smiling at the end of Sunday’s race, which he finished in sixth place: “Positive feelings, I’d say it was a good weekend compared to the last ones, I’m quite satisfied. The work done on Saturday was especially visible at the beginning. I was quite fast again in braking and I’m happy because I managed to overtake the Aprilias, Miller, I had a bit of a fight… I’m happy, because it’s been a while since I was able to brake hard and overtake like I did last year, I had fun”.

At the Red Bull Ring we found the Bez that we know, the combative one and able to take the bike wherever he wants. In some phases of the race, in fact, he almost reached fourth position, battling with the KTMs and with Marc Marquez, who then got the better of him: “I had put myself at a good distance from Binder, but when I saw that Marquez was coming, I tried to get under Brad. I made it, but I wasn’t able to overtake him straight away, so the front got a bit hot and I had to slow down to survive. But Marc was coming from behind very fast, I tried to resist a bit, but when he passed me he managed to get away. He had more, maybe he managed it better, but I’m satisfied”.

In box #72, optimism reigned during the Austrian weekend. The complicated track made the result even more precious, not only in terms of the standings, but also in terms of sensations on the bike: “The track creates a lot of problems, because it is very difficult to find references, it encourages you to brake harder and harder, but it is not always the best solution. In terms of riding, I am making some steps. On this track I managed to make a few more than at Silverstone, for example. The guys did a good job, but honestly the bike has remained more or less the same since Friday, apart from some electronics”.

However, all that glitters is not gold, because the GP23 continues to not be a bike that lives up to Bezzecchi’s expectations. The adaptation is costing him effort and, despite the steps forward, the VR46 rider knows that there is still a long way to go to get close to the top and fight with the leaders: “I definitely had more fun here than in Jerez! There it was a great race with a nice podium, but the podium affects your enjoyment. It is obvious and right that you have fun when you win, but in terms of overtaking and enjoying riding the bike, I started having a bit of fun again, I felt like I could do some nice overtaking. I did two or three that I liked, but now it’s not even that easy. However, I can never feel perfectly at ease, I always feel like I’m riding over problems, but unfortunately in the current MotoGP, even if you lose just a tenth, you suck”.