Bezzecchi, a historic victory at Mugello in honor of Zanardi. Martin: "I envy him

The rider from Rimini dreamed of triumphing in the Italian GP and he did it, beating his teammate and rival in the title race. A special thought for Zanardi.

A masterpiece by Marco Bezzecchi in the MotoGP race at Mugello, where he delivered an essentially perfect performance. Starting well from pole position, he responded effectively to Jorge Martin and then smartly managed the laps spent behind Pecco Bagnaia. He chose the right moment to overtake the Ducati rider and take the lead of the race, extended the gap over his pursuers, and made no mistakes to the finish line.

For him and Aprilia, this is the first victory at the Mugello Circuit, where he was especially eager to stand on the top step of the podium. In the Sprint he settled for fourth after a less-than-stellar start, but today he practically did everything right and fulfilled a long-held dream. He hadn’t managed to triumph in Tuscany even in the lower categories. The win lets him pull slightly away from the Martinator, now at -17 in the overall standings. The championship is still long, and the fight for the world title is wide open.

The Rimini-born rider spoke to Sky Sport MotoGP’s microphones to comment on his triumphant day: "Beautiful, a dream I’ve had for as long as I can remember. My father and mother took me and my sister Silvia to watch races here and elsewhere. We’ve always been passionate fans; winning here is something I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like and, in fact, it exceeded all expectations. Truly an incredible emotion."

Bezzecchi explained how he managed his race from the first lap until he passed Bagnaia and then imposed his pace to make the difference: "At the start, when Pecco passed me, he was fast and I didn’t want to overdo it. I already had everything up to temperature and did a few laps trying not to lose touch while also not stressing everything too much, starting with the tires. Then I saw that Pecco was struggling a bit, I had a second on Martin and the next lap seven-tenths, so I understood it was the moment to pass and see if I had enough to break away. I managed to overtake at Turn 1 and with the cleaner air the bike came back to me. I was able to push hard and saw the gap increasing, but I didn’t ease off because I was very afraid of losing focus."

The leader of the MotoGP world championship standings had warm words for Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia test rider present in the Sky Sport studio: "Thank you, you’re truly great and you did an incredible job. You really give us satisfaction and you’re a great person too: I found a great rider and a great friend."

A comment about bringing Alex Zanardi back to the top step of the podium could not be missing, given that this weekend Bezzecchi raced with a helmet dedicated to the unforgettable champion: "This is what pleases me the most. I wasn’t fortunate enough to know him; I’ve always admired him from afar. His story has always been incredible. I saw the tribute that F1 paid him and I thought I should do something for him, because I’m in a position that resonates and maybe it’s something that can reach people. I’m very happy."

Jorge Martin also spoke to Sky Sport MotoGP and admitted something nice: "I felt envious of Bez, because for him winning at Mugello is something I don’t think can be matched. I hope to experience it myself at some Spanish race. I didn’t want to leave the podium, it was truly beautiful."

Savadori asked him for details about his race today, and the Spanish rider also thanked him before answering the question: "In the end you know what we have; you’re part of these results, having done a great job to help Aprilia be where it is. I want to thank you. As for the race, I had a few moments when I missed the opportunity. When I passed Marco, I think that if I had managed to stay in front it would have been a different story. Anyway, it’s a beautiful second place, like yesterday. They’re all great results, except those in Barcelona."

The next event on the 2026 MotoGP calendar is in Hungary on the weekend of June 5–7. Balaton Park has been part of the championship program since 2025 and has drawn some criticism regarding safety. We will see how things go this year. Aprilia will arrive there eager to confirm itself.