Bezzecchi breaks the record, but race pace exposes Aprilia’s limit

Marco Bezzecchi took pole in 1:44.962, the first sub-1:45 lap at MotorLand, beating Marc Márquez by 0.089s. It proved Aprilia can challenge Ducati over one lap despite Bezzecchi’s injured left knee.

The Sprint shifted the question to race pace. After losing the lead at the first braking zone and then second place to Alex Márquez, Bezzecchi could not attack either Ducati even while his soft rear was at its best. He accepted that the brothers were slightly faster and does not believe the medium would automatically have improved his result.

Pole still matters for Sunday, but Aprilia has never won at Aragón. Bezzecchi needs either more sustained pace or a cleaner defence of Turn 1 if he is to convert the RS-GP’s speed and reduce his 29-point deficit to Martín.