One of the surprises in the 2023 MotoGP season was Marco Bezzecchi. In only his second season in the premier category, he consistently fought for top positions and finished third overall, all aboard a last year’s Ducati Desmosedici GP22, with the Mooney VR46 Racing Team.
The start was encouraging for the Italian, taking third place in Portugal followed by his career’s first victory in Argentina. This win even put him in the championship lead after two rounds. In the press conference after the race, Bezzecchi acknowledged his family and Valentino Rossi: ‘For my family it was very difficult, since as all riders know you have to make sacrifices and it was very long, but it was fantastic because in the end when you have these good moments you also remember the difficult ones and you feel that everything was rewarded for this […]. For Vale, the same, without him probably even with the support of my family it was almost impossible, because Vale gave me the opportunity to grow as a person and as a rider to move up to the World Championship and continue to grow’.
The championship lead didn’t last long for #72, as he was overtaken two rounds later in Spain – marking his first retirement of the year… before bouncing back with a win in France. Until the summer break, he continued to fight consistently for the top spots, securing another podium in Assen.
However, the second part of the season witnessed a drop in Bezzecchi’s performance. Second place in San Marino and the victory in the inaugural GP of India were his last podiums in main races. In a more challenging final stretch, he lost ground in the fight for the title to Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati).
Nevertheless, the Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider kept a solid third place in the championship since the German GP, which was never really in jeopardy. He secured it in the penultimate round at Losail: ‘I’m really happy, for myself and the whole Team, it’s a very important result in my second year in MotoGP’, he said.
In 2024, Bezzecchi will once again ride a bike with a year-old model. Repeating the third-place finish won’t be easy, let alone fighting for the title. However, the Italian has already proven he has the potential to challenge for top positions, now needing to gain greater consistency: unlike the top two in the championship, he only managed two consecutive podiums twice during the season.
Marco Bezzecchi’s 2023 season:
Portuguese GP: DNF Sprint/3rd GP – 3rd in the championship
Argentina GP: 2nd Sprint/1st GP – 1st in the championship
Americas GP: 6th Sprint/6th GP – 1st in the championship
Spanish GP: 9th Sprint/DNF GP – 2nd in the championship
French GP: 7th Sprint/1st GP – 2nd in the championship
Italian GP: 2nd Sprint/8th GP – 2nd in the championship
German GP: 7th Sprint/4th GP – 3rd in the championship
Dutch GP: 1st Sprint/2nd GP – 3rd in the championship
British GP: 2nd Sprint/DNF GP – 3rd in the championship
Austrian GP: Retired/ Sprint3rd GP – 3rd in the championship
Catalan GP: 8th Sprint/12th GP – 3rd in the championship
San Marino GP: 2nd Sprint/2nd GP – 3rd in the championship
Indian GP: 5th Sprint/1st GP – 3rd in the championship
Japanese GP: 6th Sprint/4th GP – 3rd in the championship
Indonesian GP: 3rd Sprint/5th GP – 3rd in the championship
Australian GP: 6th GP (no Sprint race) – 3rd in the championship
Thai GP: 4thSprint/6th GP – 3rd in the championship
Malaysian GP: 7thSprint/6th GP – 3rd in the championship
Qatar GP: 13th Sprint/13th GP – 3rd in the championship
Valencia GP: 7th Sprint/DNF GP – 3rd in the championship