Marco Bezzecchi reveals mentality shift ahead of crucial MotoGP title run-in

Marco Bezzecchi admits his mental approach heading into the British MotoGP has changed compared to last year, despite the Aprilia rider’s dominant performance at Silverstone in 2025.

The former title leader during the early stages of 2026 was hampered by shoulder and knee injuries prior to the summer break, as the Italian now looks to bounce back from a tough stretch dating back to the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Bezzecchi, who was part of a four-rider group involving Fabio di Giannantonio, Fermin Aldeguer and Raul Fernandez that was wiped out by his Aprilia Racing team-mate Jorge Martin at Balaton Park, has failed to finish or start any of the last four grand prix.

That includes being banned from the Czech grand prix at Brno, after Bezzecchi slapped a marshal for accidentally revving the bike’s engine, following his crash in the sprint. 

With his title chances taking a slight hit prior to the summer break, Bezzecchi is hoping to make a return to form sooner rather than later, although that might need to wait until after Silverstone, according to the Aprilia star.

Speaking ahead of Friday’s practice sessions, Bezzecchi said: “It’s been a tough summer break. Not the one that I wanted. 

“I’m still not 100% because the shoulder feels not too bad, but my left knee was also injured. We will see.” 

Bezzecchi was also asked in the pre-event press conference in London whether he has a chance to match last year’s performance at Silverstone, to which he responded: “At the moment not many [chances], unfortunately. 

“This track is super special to me, I really like the layout. Last year I had a very good race, a very good weekend. 

“But this year we come here with a different mentality because of the situation. I’m not really thinking too much about the performance. 

“I’m just thinking about going on the bike and seeing how it feels. If I feel good I will try. I will only know the answer tomorrow.” 

Prior to the press conference, MotoGP confirmed that Silverstone had agreed a new two-year extension to host the British GP through to 2028.

Bezzecchi also spoke about why Silverstone is a special circuit for many riders, and why it often produces different winners, saying: “The weather conditions are always a bit strange here. This can change a lot the behaviour of the bikes, but also, it’s super complete as a track. 

“It has fast and flowing parts, hard braking, a lot of change of direction and fast straights. 

“There is something for every bike. It’s very easy to have a balanced classification between the different manufacturers.”