Marco Bezzecchi was “dreaming” of Italian MotoGP podium but “my pace was not enough”

Marco Bezzecchi says his pace in the MotoGP Italian Grand Prix was only enough “to make fifth”, so, despite “dreaming” of a podium in his home race he took satisfaction from his result.

For Bezzecchi, the Italian MotoGP was one of his most solid weekends of the season, with a top-10 result in qualifying backed up by two top-six finishes for the rider whose season has been a story of potential unrealised thanks to frequent mistakes.

“It was a nice one,” Marco Bezzecchi told MotoGP.com in review of his Italian Grand Prix.

“I really made my best this whole weekend, I tried to work in the best way possible with the team and we were able to show a good performance, a good speed.”

There was disappointment, though, for Bezzecchi, who was wanting a podium finish in his home race, even if he knew, realistically, his pace was enough only for a top-five.

“Of course, I wanted more, it’s obvious I was dreaming about a podium on my home soil, but in the end I have to say that today my pace was not enough,” the Aprilia Racing rider said.

“I think I had the pace to make fifth, and fortunately at the end I reached my target.

“It was a tough one when I found myself in fifth position with Diggia [Fabio Di Giannantonio] 0.9 seconds or one second [ahead] – I said ‘Now I try to push,’ and I tried to catch him, and I made a couple of laps in 1:47-low.

“But then I realised that I was destroying the front tyre and I was still missing 10 or nine laps [from the finish]. It was tough.

“Diggia had something more, he could catch the front group. I made my best, so I can’t complain.”