Marco Bezzecchi is apparently about to make the switch to Aprilia for the 2025 MotoGP season – a deal is set to be finalized in the next few days
Now that it is clear that Maverick Vinales will leave Aprilia at the end of this MotoGP season, the Italian manufacturer is on the lookout for a second top rider to complete the line-up alongside Jorge Martin for next year. All indications are that it will be Marco Bezzecchi.
In the last few days, when talks with Aprilia intensified, Ducati had tried to kill two birds with one stone: the idea was not to lose Marco Bezzecchi and the Pramac team by bringing the two together.
But the plan obviously didn’t work out, so that another rider will go to the direct competition and Paolo Campinoti’s team will most likely sign with Yamaha as the new motorcycle supplier. Rumors to this effect gained momentum with the departure of Martin.
It is quite remarkable that Bezzecchi is once again turning down the opportunity to ride the latest generation of the Desmosedici. For 2024, he had already preferred to ride the previous year’s model in his familiar environment at VR46 instead of a current factory Ducati at Pramac.
Bezzecchi struggles with the Desmosedici GP23
In all likelihood, the Italian will now switch to the Aprilia RS-GP, whose performance is (still) inferior to the Desmosedici on paper. However, it is also a fact that Bezzecchi has not coped so well with the GP23 so far this season.
Before Assen, the eighth Grand Prix of the year, the VR46 rider is in eleventh place in the overall standings, behind team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio (ninth). In the same conditions last year, Bezzecchi won three races and scored seven podium finishes
In addition, the arrival of Marc Marquez in the official Ducati garage in 2025 has caused unrest, not to say anger, in Valentino Rossi’s environment, in the training academy that bears his name and in the VR46 MotoGP team.
Although Ducati and VR46 are reportedly only one step away from renewing their partnership – provided Pramac accepts Yamaha’s offer
Marquez’ promotion caused discomfort
However, it is precisely for this reason that some see Marquez’s promotion as a threat to the established ecosystem in which Bagnaia has won the last two MotoGP titles and VR46 has proved a perfect ally for Ducati.
“It’s clear that Marc’s signing didn’t go down well,” a VR46 source revealed. “Not only has he thrown the brand’s philosophy out the window, but he certainly won’t bring stability.” And so a certain mistrust could also have contributed to Bezzecchi’s move.
Apart from that, the 25-year-old fits perfectly into the profile that Aprilia is looking for. After all, CEO Massimo Rivola recently emphasized that the Italian constructor would prefer to sign an Italian rider in order to fight for the title with him in the future. With Bezzecchi, this could be possible
