Marco Bezzecchi “can’t complain” after Marc Marquez defeat: “One lap earlier I was happier!”

Marco Bezzecchi came agonisingly close to claiming his first MotoGP Sprint win for Aprilia, only to be overhauled by Sachsenring specialist Marc Marquez on the final lap of a wet race.

Bezzecchi - who claimed his maiden GP win for Aprilia at Silverstone, then a double podium last time at Assen - made a strong start from the front row and led for the bulk of Saturday’s 15-lap contest.

“It was a very good day,” Bezzecchi told MotoGP.com “First time on the first row with Aprilia, and the Sprint.

“Fighting with Marc in the end was also good, even if unfortunately, I was beaten. But I can't complain.

“Of course, one lap earlier I was much happier! 

"But we made a good performance, and to be honest, I didn't expect to have such a good pace in these tricky conditions.”

Bezzecchi and Marquez broke clear of the chasing pack in the closing laps, with the Ducati Lenovo rider ultimately extending his 2025 Sprint tally to ten wins from eleven starts.

“Marc, unfortunately for me, was slightly faster, especially in Sector 3,” Bezzecchi admitted. “He was having a lot of traction."

Bezzecchi set his best race lap on lap 12. But, barring lap 10, Marquez was quicker than the Italian from lap 3 onwards as he made up for the early mishap.

In other words, in terms of pace, the pass was inevitable.

“I was trying to give my all to resist and to try to find something,” said Bezzecchi. “But I saw that Marc was gaining, gaining, gaining.

“Even if I made my best lap close to the end, he was gaining anyway.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s full-length MotoGP race – forecast to be dry – Bezzecchi, who was seventh in Friday practice, knows he has work to do.

“Yesterday my pace was good but was not like the top riders, like Marc, like di Giannantonio, for example,” he admitted.

“But I will try my best to improve. Tomorrow morning in the warm-up, hopefully we can make some more laps in dry conditions.”

Bezzecchi currently sits sixth in the world championship standings but is just nine points behind VR46’s Franco Morbidelli, who required hospital checks after a heavy accident from second place early in the Sprint.