Marco Bezzecchi delivered a fairytale afternoon for the Tifosi on Sunday, holding his nerve to win the Italian MotoGP at Mugello and secure both his first home victory and Aprilia's first success at the Italian round.
Starting from pole, Bezzecchi made amends for a disappointing fourth place in Saturday's Sprint by outbraking teammate and title rival Jorge Martin into Turn 1 at the start of the 23-lap grand prix. The 27-year-old built an early lead, only for Francesco Bagnaia to blast past on the main straight on lap three.
Rather than force the issue, Bezzecchi bided his time, keeping the Ducati rider within reach without overheating his front tyre. "Pecco had a rocket and he passed me," he said. "I didn't panic. I tried to stay close, but not too close."
The decisive move came with ten laps remaining, when Bezzecchi lunged past Bagnaia into Turn 1 and immediately began to stretch his advantage. "Once I was able to pass Pecco, I put my rhythm on and the feeling with my bike was amazing," he explained.
The closing laps tested the championship leader's concentration as much as his nerve, with the grandstands packed and fans spilling onto the grass. "It was tough in the last two laps because I started to see from the side of my eye all the people waving and cheering," he admitted. "To keep the concentration was hard, but once I crossed the finish line the feeling was amazing."
Bezzecchi admitted the weight of home expectation had been heavy all weekend. "From Thursday the pressure was high, the fans were amazing, but also the responsibility was a lot," he said. "For the first time I really felt the pressure, but it was also a super charge. It's like a dream come true."
Among those waiting to congratulate him was Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli. "Kimi is a big friend of mine, we've been closer in the last three years, and to have him here is great," said Bezzecchi.
The win, his first MotoGP victory since Texas, extends Bezzecchi's championship lead to 17 points over Martin heading into next weekend's Hungarian round.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1096674/1/marco-bezzecchi-didnt-panic-after-bagnaia-rocket-felt-pressure-mugello-motogp
- https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1096672/1/marc-marquez-discovers-new-feeling-during-intense-mugello-motogp-battle
