Marco Bezzecchi Learns from Jack Miller in the Harsh Race: ‘I Looked at Him and Decided to Follow’

Marco Bezzecchi, now racing with Aprilia Racing in the 2025 MotoGP season, endured one of the most chaotic and unpredictable races of his career at the French Grand Prix at Le Mans. The weather, ever-changing track conditions, and a gamble on tyre choice created an incredibly difficult scenario for the Italian rider, who ultimately salvaged 14th place after an eventful and dramatic race.

While the result doesn’t reflect the effort and determination Bezzecchi displayed throughout the race, it paints a picture of a rider still adapting to his new machinery and still building chemistry with the Aprilia team under high-pressure situations.

Marco Bezzecchi’s wet-weather inexperience with Aprilia tested at Le Mans

Heading into the Le Mans weekend, many riders were preparing for the likelihood of mixed weather conditions. When rain began to fall on race day, it forced teams and riders into split strategies and fast decision-making. For Marco Bezzecchi, it marked his first wet-weather race with Aprilia, a situation that proved both a learning experience and a challenge.

Speaking in the post-race press conference, Bezzecchi admitted he wasn’t fully confident with what to do at the start.

“It was one of those situations where anything can happen,” Bezzecchi explained. “We started with rain and I said: ‘Okay, I’ll look at Jack Miller, he’s usually good in this kind of choices.’ It was my first time in these conditions with Aprilia, so I wasn’t really confident about what to do.”

His decision to follow Jack Miller’s lead and stay on rain tyres initially seemed like a wise move. But as the track quickly began drying—even while rain still lightly fell—the strategy rapidly backfired.

“Even with the rain still falling, the track was drying, so I stopped to put the slicks. But as soon as I did that, it started to rain again,” said Bezzecchi, describing the unpredictable conditions that left many riders second-guessing their choices.

A costly crash during tyre switch gamble

After switching to slick tyres, Bezzecchi tried to push through the drying conditions, hoping he had made the right call. But the rain returned, and his confidence quickly eroded along with the grip. He pushed one lap too many—and paid the price.

“Maybe I stayed out one lap too many on slicks and I crashed,” he admitted. “Luckily the bike didn’t switch off. I was in turn nine, picked it up, and returned to the box to get back on the wet bike.”

That incident effectively ended any hopes of a top-10 finish. The time lost in the crash and subsequent bike switch pushed him down the order. But to Bezzecchi’s credit, he didn’t give up. He remounted and re-entered the race, determined to finish and collect whatever points he could.

Grip management dominated the second half of the race

With the Aprilia RS-GP no longer optimized for the inconsistent grip levels, Bezzecchi found himself in survival mode for the second half of the race. The biggest issue he encountered was managing tyre temperature—especially in the rear.

“I had a medium rear tyre. At the beginning it was tough, but once I got some temperature in the tyre, I was doing some good laps, like low 1:46s,” he said. “Then it started to rain more, I lost temperature, I lost confidence, and I lost a lot of rear grip.”

As the rain intensified once more, the already difficult task of riding at the limit turned into a balancing act between staying upright and maintaining decent lap times. Bezzecchi described how each lap became slower than the last.

“I started slowing down a lot and just tried to survive. My lap times were worsening lap by lap. That was the summary of my race.”

It was a brutally honest reflection of what most riders faced at Le Mans: a constant tug-of-war between tyre temperatures, rain patterns, and mechanical feedback.

Bezzecchi continues to adapt to the Aprilia RS-GP

The 2025 season is Marco Bezzecchi’s first with Aprilia Racing, and the transition hasn’t been without its bumps. Coming off his time with VR46 Ducati, where he earned podiums and even race wins, Bezzecchi has had to relearn much of his riding technique to adapt to the unique handling and behavior of Aprilia’s machine.

Aprilia’s RS-GP is known for its corner speed and agility but is less forgiving when tyre temperatures fall. Wet races amplify these characteristics—and not always in a positive way. For a rider like Bezzecchi, who is still building trust with the front and rear ends of the Aprilia, a wet-dry-wet race like Le Mans provides the worst-case scenario for confidence building.

Despite this, Bezzecchi remained upbeat about the opportunity to gather valuable data.

“It was a messy race, but every lap counts when you’re learning the bike. I wish I didn’t crash, but I learned a lot today—especially about how the RS-GP behaves with the medium rear in changing grip.”

Aprilia Racing faces a mixed weekend overall

While Marco Bezzecchi struggled through the chaos to finish 14th, his Aprilia teammates also had an uneven French Grand Prix. Aleix Espargaró, the team’s veteran leader, retired after a technical issue, and Maverick Viñales suffered a late-race crash while battling for points.

The team had hoped to be more competitive at Le Mans, a track where Aprilia has occasionally shown promise. But the weather ruined any plans for a consistent race strategy. For Bezzecchi, at least, the chance to finish and gather experience counts as a partial success.

Team manager Massimo Rivola reflected on the race by praising Bezzecchi’s perseverance.

“Marco did well to keep fighting. These kinds of races are a lottery, and he made the best of a very bad hand. The crash was unfortunate, but how he recovered and brought the bike home matters.”

What’s next for Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia?

With six rounds already completed in the 2025 MotoGP season, Marco Bezzecchi sits outside the top ten in the championship standings. While not ideal, his position isn’t cause for panic—especially considering that his Aprilia career is still in its early stages.

His primary goals for the upcoming races are consistency and understanding.

The next round at Silverstone, known for its fast corners and technical layout, may offer a better opportunity for the Aprilia to shine. If the weather is stable, it would allow Bezzecchi and the team to execute a clearer strategy and gauge their real pace without the complications of tyre roulette.

Aprilia will also bring a new aerodynamic update and revised engine mapping for Silverstone, aimed at improving power delivery during transitions—an area that Bezzecchi has highlighted as one of the RS-GP’s current weaknesses.

“If we can test properly and get dry sessions, I think we can take a step forward at Silverstone,” said Bezzecchi. “I feel like we’re close to turning a corner.”

Learning through the chaos: a long-term vision for Bezzecchi

While 14th place may not be the result Marco Bezzecchi dreamed of when he signed with Aprilia, this French Grand Prix could prove to be a turning point in his understanding of the RS-GP under pressure. Races like Le Mans—where adaptability, resilience, and decision-making matter as much as outright speed—are the true tests of a rider’s character.

Bezzecchi passed that test by never giving up, recovering from a crash, and finishing a race that saw several big names fail to see the checkered flag. More importantly, he walked away with insights that will serve him well as the season progresses.

Aprilia knows that Bezzecchi is a long-term investment. His raw talent is unquestionable, and with more race experience and a deeper technical partnership with his crew, he may become a future contender.

Conclusion: survival, strategy, and small steps forward

The 2025 French Grand Prix was a brutal, unpredictable event that tested every MotoGP rider’s ability to think and adapt on the fly. Marco Bezzecchi, in just his sixth race with Aprilia, endured a crash, tyre misjudgment, and tricky weather to finish 14th—one of his most mentally demanding performances to date.

Though the result was modest, the value in experience and data could prove significant in the long run. As the MotoGP circus heads to Silverstone, Bezzecchi and Aprilia will aim for a reset, clearer weather, and a better chance to show what their partnership is capable of under normal conditions.

For now, Bezzecchi walks away from Le Mans with his head held high—not because he won, but because he endured. And in a season like this, sometimes that’s where the real growth begins.