Bezzecchi, a new rendezvous with history: he could hand Lorenzo a 'disappointment'

Fresh off his victory in Brazil, Bezzecchi hopes to shine in the United States as well: will he be able to triumph again?

A great start to the 2026 MotoGP championship for Aprilia, with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin occupying the top two spots in the overall standings. The Italian rider won the long races in Buriram and Goiania, reaching four consecutive victories when counting the final two from the 2025 season as well. It had never happened to him before in his career, and he also became the first Aprilia rider to claim five Sunday race wins.

Another interesting statistic is that Bez has led every lap over the last four GPs, totaling 101 laps in the lead. The record belongs to Jorge Lorenzo, who reached 103 in 2015. We’ll see if he can match it and maybe even beat it. It won’t be easy, of course. When you think of the Austin circuit, it’s automatic to picture Marc Marquez as the favorite, given he has won there seven times.

Bezzecchi dreams of winning five races in a row, but he doesn’t want to put excessive pressure on himself and approaches the United States Grand Prix with his head down, focused on the work to do with the team: "I definitely feel good - he said at the press conference - and it’s a great moment, but this weekend we start from zero again. Every race is a new chapter, but I’m happy to be here, I really like the track and I can’t wait to get on the bike. Beating Lorenzo’s record? I didn’t know about this record. It’s wonderful to be close to such a milestone, but in the end it’s not what’s really important for me and my team. We’re trying to do our job to be competitive."

In 2024 Maverick Vinales took a double win with Aprilia in Austin, which theoretically could be a good track for the RS-GP: "I don’t know - the Romagna rider replied - because every year is unique. Certainly, Maverick had a great weekend, but since then the bike is very different. I don’t know what to expect. Also, Marc is always fantastic on this track. I think he has more wins at Austin than I have in my entire MotoGP career. It won’t be easy, but we’ll try to do our best."

Bezzecchi is the leader of the MotoGP overall standings and has an Aprilia that seems quite improved compared to 2025, but he doesn’t want to talk about the possibility of being crowned world champion: "There are still 40 races to go between sprints and long races. It’s really too early to talk about it. I’d like to be competitive throughout the season, that’s my goal. Right now, though, I don’t want to fill my head with those thoughts."

He’s right not to think about the title, even if he’s aware that this year he might have the chance to make his dream come true. For now, he needs to try to score as many points as possible, and at mid-season there will be a first real assessment.