Published: 15 Jul 2024
Marco Bezzecchi on Why He Struggles in 2024: "I'm Destroying the Front'
Marco Bezzecchi appears to be unable to get to grips with his GP23. The Italian explains why he struggles so much in 2024 MotoGP.
After a complicated first third of the 2024 season, Marco Bezzecchi is one of MotoGP’s biggest surprises. Last year’s third in the standings has plummeted down the order after switching onto the Ducati GP23.
The Italian is struggling to perform on last year’s Desmosedici. While other GP23 riders like Marc Marquez or Bezzecchi’s teammate Di Giannantonio are performing well, Bezzecchi currently sits just 12th in the overall standings.
His downfall, however, does not come as a surprise for the 25-year-old. From the get-go, he didn’t feel well on the GP23.
“Compared to my bike from last year, this bike has more grip, especially when leaning and when opening the throttle.”
“I noticed this characteristic straight away at the Valencia test [in November 2023], when I tried this bike for the first time.”
Somehow, the Italian can’t come to grips with the high traction level of the GP23: “I always have a problem when braking, at the apex of corners, and when accelerating.”
“The main problem is that the bike pushes a lot over the front wheel. I’m destroying the front tyre at the moment. That’s where all my problems start.”
Of course, the nine-time race winner doesn’t give up. Bezzecchi knows that as a rider he has a big influence on the bike’s performance and wants to try to adapt his riding style even further.
“Matteo and the team are trying everything to adapt the bike to my needs in the best possible way. The influence I have as a rider is probably greater than the influence of the bike.”
“That’s why I look at the data and try to work out how and where I can improve. The best thing is to try and adapt to the characteristics of this bike as best I can.”
The former VR46 spearhead is currently a long way off the top 5 or even the podium. Bezzecchi has set himself realistic goals for the near future:
“Now that we are struggling so much, we have to move forward step by step. My goal for the second half of the season is to achieve consistent results and an overall improvement. For now, I’m thinking of Top 10 results.”
