The weakness behind Marco Bezzecchi’s dominant MotoGP start

Few would dispute that Marco Bezzecchi is the rider to beat in the 2026 MotoGP season, with Aprilia now having the reference bike on the grid ahead of Ducati.

The numbers speak for themselves. Riding the factory Aprilia RS-GP, the Italian has won the last five full-length races in the premier class, taking victory in the final two grands prix of 2025 and all three held so far in 2026. In doing so, he has smashed records for consecutive laps led and is beginning to approach milestones achieved only by the series' all-time greats.

However, as the saying goes, not everything that glitters is gold.

Bezzecchi can take satisfaction from the speed he is currently demonstrating. He is at arguably the best form of his career, even surpassing the highs of his 2023 campaign when he fought for the title against Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin. But the rider from Rimini is aware - and has said as much - that he cannot be entirely satisfied.

That is because the opening three rounds of the season have also exposed a weakness.

While the #72 leads the MotoGP standings with 81 points, just four clear of his team-mate, there is a paradox in his performances. Crashes have prevented him from building an even bigger advantage in the riders’ championship.

Riders	Crashes so far in 2026
Marco Bezzecchi	6 crashes
Pedro Acosta	4 crashes
Joan Mir	4 crashes
Fabio Di Giannantonio	4 crashes
Alex Marquez	4 crashes
Jorge Martin	4 crashes
Jack Miller	4 crashes
Franco Morbidelli	4 crashes
Ai Ogura	4 crashes
Marc Marquez	3 crashes

Across the first three grands prix, Bezzecchi is the rider who has hit the ground most often. The 27-year-old has crashed six times — more than any of his rivals, who are at least two incidents behind him in that regard.

As a result, he has fallen more frequently than other title contenders such as Martin or Marc Marquez. In fact, only two riders have yet to crash at all - Raul Fernandez, riding the Trackhouse-run RS-GP, and Fermin Aldeguer, who missed the Thailand Grand Prix through injury.

However, the main issue for Bezzecchi is not just the number of crashes, but when they have occurred.

Clearly, falling in a practice session is very different from crashing when points are on the line. Crucially, Bezzecchi has failed to finish two of the three sprint races held so far — at a time when Saturday results can carry more weight than they might appear. Bagnaia, for instance, ultimately paid the price for lost sprint points in 2024 when he was beaten to the title by Martin.

In Buriram, Bezzecchi crashed in the early stages while trying to take the fight to Marquez, who would go on to battle Pedro Acosta for victory, with the latter winning after a controversial final lap. In Goiania, the rider from Rimini completed his only sprint so far, finishing fourth behind Martin. And in Austin, he had fought his way up to second, behind Bagnaia and ahead of Martin, before another mistake ended his race, handing the initiative to his team-mate, who went on to win and briefly take over the championship lead (before Bezzecchi reclaimed it on Sunday).

For that reason, despite his strong form, Bezzecchi knows he must raise his level on Saturdays.

He was not fully satisfied when he left Austin: “I’m happy. On Saturday I made a mistake, and it was important to deliver a good race on Sunday. Saturdays are still lacking, but we’re doing well on Sundays.

“As long as I can't avoid mistakes like the one on Saturday, I won't feel like a contender.

“I'm certainly fast and strong in these early races, but there's still a lot of work to be done and room for improvement. We have to overcome all the challenges we'll face, and we need to keep our feet on the ground because this is still a long way off.”

Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Someone equally aware of the need to maximise every opportunity is his boss at Aprilia, Massimo Rivola.

In a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Ferrari Formula 1 sporting director stressed the importance of avoiding errors - particularly with Marquez as a rival, even if the reigning champion is still recovering from last year’s shoulder injury.

“We’ve lost around 20 points in the sprint races,” said Rivola.

“When your rival is Marc Marquez, and you know he’s not at 100%, you can’t afford to give him anything, because you know he will come back.

“That said, it’s also good not to be greedy…”