Valentino Rossi responds to Marco Bezzecchi’s first podium finish of the year.
Valentino Rossi has acknowledged his “responsibility” after persuading Marco Bezzecchi to remain at VR46.
Bezzecchi was reportedly offered the opportunity to switch from Rossi’s team, where he would ride a year-old Desmosedici, to Pramac, where he could have a factory-spec version for this season. However, he opted to stay with VR46.
This decision had not yielded on-track success until last weekend, when Bezzecchi secured his first podium of the season at the Spanish MotoGP.
“We are thrilled for Bez,” exclaimed Rossi to Sky Italia from the Jerez paddock. “I feel a significant responsibility because he chose to stay with us and ride the old bike, which had some issues.
“Marco possesses immense potential and must continue to extract every ounce of performance from the bike, as he demonstrated here in Jerez.
“It was a fantastic achievement, a crucial podium for him and also for the team.”
Bezzecchi experienced a breakthrough season last year, clinching his and VR46 team’s first grand prix victory in the premier class at Argentina.
He sustained a title challenge until the latter stages of the season, despite struggling with an injury incurred during training.
After successfully persuading Bezzecchi to remain with VR46, the team then lost Rossi’s brother, Luca Marini, to Repsol Honda. However, Bezzecchi’s loyalty has not yet translated into another standout year.
His best result so far this season was a sixth-place finish in Portimao, before he crossed the line behind Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez at Jerez last week.
Until Jerez, Bezzecchi had found the GP23 considerably more challenging to handle compared to the GP22 he used last year.
