Bezzecchi’s stats are starting to look impressive following his victory in Austin. He has won five MotoGP races in a row, a feat previously achieved only by Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez. He is the first rider to win the first three GPs of a season since Marquez in 2014. He is the first rider since 1992 to win five consecutive races while leading every lap. He set a new record: 121 consecutive laps in the lead. These are impressive numbers that even Marco is struggling to process.
“To be honest, I didn’t really expect a day like this at all,” he smiles, almost embarrassed. “After what happened yesterday, it wasn’t easy to stay focused; it was a small mistake that had a big consequence. I was sad, pretty down, because I’d made a huge mistake. Fortunately, the whole team was there for me, giving me the boost I needed to keep pushing and working. We stayed in the garage until late at night to improve the bike; I didn’t expect a day like this, but I’m absolutely thrilled. I’ve been dreaming for a long time of having a race like this on a track that I really liked, but where I’d never managed to finish a GP well.”
How do you feel right now looking at all the records you’re setting?
“It’s hard to explain; I don’t know how to describe my emotions—it’s something you don’t expect. I’ve worked hard, like all the riders in MotoGP, to achieve these results, but you don’t expect to do something like this. As I always say, you have to keep your feet on the ground, because in the end, they’re just numbers, and I want to keep going like this.”
Antonelli in F1, Sinner in tennis, you in MotoGP: you’re the Italy that wins. Do you keep in touch?
“Kimi and I spoke this morning; as soon as I woke up, I sent him a message right away. Jannik was a surprise—I’m a fan of his, and he reached out to me after the race in Brazil. It was an incredible thrill for me to have a chat with him, even if only over the phone; I hope we can meet soon. I’ve had amazing support from these two proud Italians.”
Are you thinking about winning every race now?
“Come on! (laughs) Not at all! It’s every rider's dream, but I don’t think I’m at that level right now. I’ll try to stay competitive, but it’s easy to make a mistake, like what happened in the Sprint. I don’t want to think about things like that.”
But it seems hard to figure out what your limit is right now.
“You saw it yesterday! (laughs) When you push too hard… it’s close, the line is thin. We’re always on the edge; MotoGP is extreme, and finding the limit and staying below it isn’t easy.”
Wasn’t it difficult today either?
“It wasn’t easy at all, far from it. This is a track that easily leads to mistakes, to always pushing a bit too hard under braking. My concentration was extremely high throughout the race; I tried not to make even a single mistake because I knew I could have a good race.”
On the first lap, you took a risk in the contact with Acosta.
“It was a tough moment, let’s put it that way, because the wind was really pushing hard in that corner. I saw Pedro go wide, I went in, but when I looked up I realized I was too close and couldn’t avoid the contact. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, apart from damaging my bike a bit.”
Was losing the winglets on the tail a problem?
“I noticed the bike felt strange under braking; I couldn’t lift off the throttle like usual. Especially when the tank ran low, I couldn’t stop the bike properly—the rear would slide out—but I managed to handle the situation.”