MotoGP, Bezzecchi: "I hope Martin likes the work I did, but I think he does."

After a decent weekend in the recent Austin round, coming in 8th overall, Marco Bezzecchi arrives in Qatar eager to do well and also psyched for some extra MotoGP adventures alongside the head of Aprilia.

"We rode twice around the circuit with Rivola. In Texas, he had complained that it was stiff, but it was better in Misano. It was too bad that we were in two different groups. I was with the slow guys, and he was with the fast guys. Anyway, Massimo is cool. Passed, even if he could be less cumbersome in changes of direction," he said, jokingly, before analyzing what lies ahead.

"In America, despite the initial difficulties, we had a good race. There are a lot of things to fix, and we're doing that. I really love the fast and fluid design of this track. Usually, when you start, it's dirty, but I see they're working hard to clean it up," he said.

His teammate, Martin - who's been absent due to injury - will also make his debut in Lusail. "As a rider, I understand how hard it gets in certain moments. But I'm happy for him. For me, to have him close, will be important, to try to learn and be competitive. Hopefully, he likes my work, but I think he does, because the RS-GP25 has developed a lot, and we can make further progress with his support as a world champion. We'll understand more on Friday afternoon."

Finally, regarding expectations for the weekend, Bez was cautious. "With Espargaro, in 2024, Aprilia did a very good qualifying session, and also in the sprint, Aleix had shown a great pace, doing a great overtake on Bagnaia at the second-to-last lap. That said, I don't know what to expect, since I've never raced here with this bike, but the progress is continuous, so I hope to continue like this and bring home a good result."