Marco Bezzecchi’s slump in 2024 has been extremely frustrating to watch when you consider both his speed and talent. Heading into the summer break, the Italian sits a distant 12th in the championship on 53 points, with just a single podium finish at Jerez to his name.
At the same point of the championship last year, Bezzecchi had accumulated 167 points with victories in Argentina and France - putting him just six points adrift of second-placed Jorge Martin in the standings.
Of course, the GP23 isn’t as competitive a proposition as the GP22 was on last year’s grid, but team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio’s performances on the same bike show that something is amiss with Bezzecchi this year.
In the opening nine rounds, he has been outscored 53-92 by his countryman, who sits four places ahead of him in the standings. It’s perhaps no wonder why Ducati has moved to add Di Giannantonio directly to its factory roster, with a contract that includes getting the latest-spec GP25 machinery in 2025.
Unlike some other riders on the grid, Bezzecchi doesn’t have to worry about his future as he already has a deal with Aprilia to become Martin’s team-mate from 2025. But the Italian is aware that he needs to start delivering the kind of results he is capable of in 2024 to end his three-year stint with VR46 on a high. It’s not going to be an easy task, given the extent of the troubles he is facing.
The 25-year-old first found out that he was in for a difficult year when he first tested the GP23 bike at the post-season Valencia test last November. Given he had just finished third in the standings on a year-old bike, that must have been heartbreaking for the Italian.
“I realised immediately in the winter test. I felt immediately that the combination, new bike, new tyres, especially new tyres, for my way to ride the bike, are a little bit more difficult to use the strongest point of both of them,” he told Motorsport.com.
Ironically, it’s the extra grip that the GP23 offers that is working against Bezzecchi’s riding style, causing him to wear out his tyres too quickly. The introduction of new compounds from Michelin in 2024 has only compounded it.
“This bike compared to my last season bike is different because the bike has more grip, especially in angle, so trail braking, mid corner and initial touch of gas,” he explained.
“Already last season, in the Valencia test, when I tried the bike, I felt this characteristic. But with the older construction tyres anyway, I made a third place in the first test with the new bike. So the difference was there, but it was not too big.
“Then in Sepang, when they bring us the new tyres and I tried them for the first time, I felt that the grip was even too much in that area. So, trail braking, mid-corner, and initial touch of gas, the bike instead of turning was pushing always on the front.
“So I started to struggle, I started to destroy the front tyre, but also I couldn't release the brakes at the correct point and keeping corner speed. The bike was always going wide. Overall we are struggling with this problem since that moment.”
A crash during the Dutch GP highlighted the problems he has been facing, as he lost the front end after getting on the throttle at Turn 5.
“It's always the same problem at the moment,” he said at Assen. “[I’ve been] struggling a lot when I touch the gas, a lot of understeer, a lot of rear pushing the front in braking and entry.
“Also with my crash, as soon as I touched the gas I lost the front. So this means the rear is pushing the front sometimes.”
The Italian is not afraid to admit that Di Giannantonio has simply been doing a better job with the machinery at their disposal.
“I look at the data of everyone every time and I always see the same things. I'm struggling in mid-corners, releasing the brake and touching the gas,” he said. “They [other GP23 riders] adapt quicker than me so I'm trying to adapt, trying to be better.”
There is not much Bezzecchi can do to tame the GP23 to his liking. Instead, the onus is on him to adjust his riding style to get the best out of his bike. It’s not going to be an easy task. After all, a number of riders spent the entire 2023 season trying to exploit its potential without avail, with Enea Bastianini being the finest example of that.
The widening performance gulf to the latest-spec GP24 also means a repeat of his 2023 race wins are a long shot this year.
But the 25-year-old is still putting in all his efforts in the hope of coming back stronger in the second half of the year.
“We work every time like hell trying to find the best combination between riding and the bike, because at the end riding can make the difference even more compared to the bike,” he said.
“I try to look at the data, try to look what I can do better or anyway, just different to improve. And then of course, Matteo [Flamigni, crew chief] and the team try to work on the bike, try to set the bike in the best way possible.
“But the best way to try to work is to try to adapt myself to the bike and try to get used to this characteristic.”
Additional reporting by Lorenza D'Adderio
