Marco Bezzecchi, MotoGP rider for VR46, describes his challenges in adjusting to the 2023-spec Ducati as “frustrating,” yet also views it as “a motivating circumstance.”
Marco Bezzecchi, once considered a potential title contender for 2024 after finishing third in the previous year’s standings with three victories on his year-old Ducati, has faced challenges adapting to the 2023-spec Ducati that clinched the championship last season.
His struggles were evident at the Qatar Grand Prix, where he qualified 15th and could only manage a 14th place finish in the race.
The Italian rider’s difficulties primarily revolve around a lack of feeling on the front end, a problem reminiscent of what his factory teammate Enea Bastianini encountered when transitioning to the GP23 last season. In Qatar, Bezzecchi found himself unable to attack corners as desired and struggled to get the bike to turn.
This led to a situation where he was overworking his rear tire, attempting to coax the GP23 around with throttle inputs.
Reflecting on his Qatar GP performance, Bezzecchi mentioned, “We made progress in the warm-up, and I felt quite comfortable on the bike. However, once the race started, I experienced significant front-end locking, and I’m still puzzled as to the cause.”
Marco Bezzecchi, once a contender for the 2024 title after a strong third-place finish in the previous season with three wins on his year-old Ducati, is facing challenges adapting to the 2023-spec Ducati that secured the championship last year. His difficulties were highlighted during the Qatar Grand Prix, where he qualified in 15th place and could only manage a 14th place finish in the race.
The Italian rider’s main struggle revolves around the lack of feedback from the front end, a familiar issue that affected his factory teammate Enea Bastianini during his transition to the GP23 last season. In Qatar, Bezzecchi found it difficult to attack corners as he wanted and had trouble getting the bike to turn. As a result, he ended up pushing his rear tire too hard, trying to force the GP23 to turn with throttle inputs.
Looking back on his performance at the Qatar GP, Bezzecchi commented, “We made some improvements during the warm-up, and I felt quite confident on the bike. However, once the race started, I encountered significant front-end locking, and I’m still trying to figure out the cause.”
He elaborated, stating, “I lack feeling with the front tire during braking, the bike doesn’t respond to turning, which causes me to lose speed approaching the corners, and I delay opening the throttle. Alternatively, I enter corners too cautiously because of the bike’s reluctance to turn, leading me to open the throttle too early and wear out the tires prematurely. It’s a challenging situation, but it also drives me to work even harder to overcome it.”
Unlike Bezzecchi, the other three GP23 riders at the Qatar race did not face the same issues. Bezzecchi’s VR46 teammate, Fabio Di Giannantonio, secured seventh place, while Alex Marquez finished sixth and his Gresini teammate, Marc Marquez, took fourth.
Considering this, Bezzecchi emphasized the importance of analyzing their data rather than solely focusing on the factory riders. “Naturally, I observe the fastest riders, but the Marquez brothers and my teammate ride the same bike as me and have managed to achieve faster times, both in single-lap performance and race pace,” he noted.
“Therefore, I aim to concentrate on them, study the data, and pinpoint what I’m lacking and why I can’t replicate their performance at the moment.”
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