Marco Bezzecchi says his victory in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix ranks alongside his maiden MotoGP win as one of the most emotional moments of his career.
The Aprilia rider overhauled early race leader Francesco Bagnaia before pulling clear of team-mate Jorge Martin, taking the chequered flag with a comfortable margin of 3.5s
It marked his fourth grand prix win of the 2026 season, and first since Austin in March, putting him 17 points clear of Martin in the championship standings.
Sunday was also Bezzecchi’s first major victory on home turf, having never finished higher than second at either Mugello or Misano in any of the three grand prix classes.
Asked if this counted among his best victories in MotoGP, Bezzecchi said: “In terms of emotion, maybe this is very similar to the first victory in MotoGP.
“I know I don’t have many [10], but it means a lot every time. So let’s say that first [in Argentina 2023] is this. Second [is Mugello] but with the same emotion as the first one, and then maybe Brazil this year was the third one.”
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Bezzecchi appeared visibly emotional on the cooldown lap at Mugello as he celebrated his victory in front of a packed stands at Mugello. He was joined over the weekend by his family members as well as Formula 1 championship leader and fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli.
“I feel super happy,” the 27-year-old added. “This is a dream that I had since when I was a kid because we used to come here to see the races with my mum, my dad and my sister.
“Every year seeing all the other riders winning or getting the podium in Mugello, and I was never there, I said ‘I want to be there so bad, how can I do it?’ But I just tried to work in the best way possible and finally, fortunately, this dream came true.”
The Italian also admitted that he felt the weight of expectations heading into the weekend, with Aprilia’s early-season results making him the outright favourite for victory.
“From Thursday, I was thinking about this, but I didn’t want to think about it too much because it’s something that can make you obsessed,” he said.
“It was a tough weekend because the pressure was high. The fans were amazing, but also the responsibility was a lot, because everyone was telling me, ‘you have to win, go, go, you have to win, we are here for you’, and it was tough.
“For the first time, I really felt the pressure from this, but it was also a super charge, because I saw an amazing way to support me.”
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