Marco Bezzecchi’s slump in 2024 has been extremely frustrating to watch when you consider both his speed and talent. Heading into the summer break, the Italian sits a distant 12th in the championship on 53 points, with just a single podium finish at Jerez to his name.
At the same point of the championship last year, Bezzecchi had accumulated 167 points with victories in Argentina and France – putting him just six points adrift of second-placed Jorge Martin in the standings.
Of course, the GP23 isn’t as competitive a proposition as the GP22 was on last year’s grid, but team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio’s performances on the same bike shows that something is amiss with Bezzecchi this year. In the opening nine rounds, he has been outscored 53-92 by his countryman, who sits four places ahead of him in the standings. It’s perhaps no wonder why Ducati has moved to add Di Giannantonio directly to its factory roster, with a contract that includes getting the latest-spec GP25 machinery in 2025.
Unlike some other riders on the grid, Bezzecchi doesn’t have to worry about his future as he already has a deal with Aprilia to become Martin’s team-mate from 2025. But the Italian is aware that he needs to start delivering the kind of results he is capable of in 2024 in order to end his three-year stint with VR46 on a high. It’s not going to be an easy task, given the extent of the troubles he is facing.
The 25-year-old first found out that he was in for a difficult year when he first tested the GP23 bike at the post-season Valencia test last November. Given he had just finished third in the standings on a year-old bike, that must have been heartbreaking for the Italian.
“I realised immediately in the winter test. I felt immediately that the combination, new bike, new tyres, especially new tyres, for my way to ride the bike, are a little bit more difficult to use the strongest point of both of them,” he told Motorsport.com / Autosport.
Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Ironically, it’s the extra grip that the GP23 offers that is working against Bezzecchi’s riding style, causing him to wear out his tyres too quickly. The introduction of new compounds from Michelin in 2024 has only compounded it.
“This bike compared to my last season bike is different because the bike has more grip, especially in angle, so trail braking, mid corner and initial touch of gas,” he…
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