After tough months, Marco Bezzecchi gives Aprilia cause for celebration at Silverstone – sending a message to Jorge Martin that the RS-GP can win races
In the 2025 MotoGP season, Aprilia has mainly made headlines off the track. That’s because it failed to secure a podium finish in the first six race weekends. And now Marco Bezzecchi has delivered a major breakthrough with his Grand Prix victory at Silverstone.
“It’s been a pretty tough period, not exactly blessed with luck since the start of the season – because of what happened to Jorge,” said Aprilia’s head of motorsport Massimo Rivola immediately after the race on DAZN Spain.
“We thought we had done a good job in Noale, but we just couldn’t show it. We needed this victory. I prefer to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. The victory helps us realize that we have the performance – even if the results have been lacking so far.”
Rivola deliberately chose these words on Spanish television because he knew that Jorge Martin was watching at home. “The message to Jorge is: the factory is working hard. We are sending the message that the bike is ready to win races.”
Two weeks ago, Martin informed the team of his intention to invoke an exit clause in his contract. Aprilia responded in Silverstone with a statement that the contract is binding until the end of 2026.
After Bezzecchi’s victory, Rivola made it clear: “We want to win with Jorge, and we are waiting for him with open arms. When a rider has so much bad luck over such a long period of time, it’s a situation that none of us can really understand.”
“We have to treat his situation with the utmost respect. And we will do everything we can to show him that this is where he belongs.” Bezzecchi has already proven the speed of the RS-GP at Silverstone with his comeback in the sprint.
Bezzecchi rewarded for his hard work
For Aprilia, it was their first Grand Prix victory since Austin in spring 2024. Bezzecchi won for the first time since India in autumn 2023. “It’s fantastic to be back on the podium – and with a victory, that’s even better, of course,” said the Italian jubilantly.
After three years with the VR46 Ducati team, Bezzecchi decided to make the move to Aprilia for this year. It was a change that proved tough and often difficult until Silverstone.
“At first, it was obviously a difficult decision. But I felt it was time for me to look for a new challenge,“ he said, looking back. ‘I really wanted to become a factory rider.’
”When Aprilia gave me this opportunity, I decided to embark on this new chapter. But I haven’t changed my attitude or my goals. I just knew it would take time and hard work.”
“I tried not to give up, even when things looked bleak – because we really had a few tough days. Aprilia worked really hard. Of course, the winter wasn’t easy – everyone knows that, both for Jorge and for Ai this weekend.”
“It wasn’t easy for me to lead the development of the bike. It was my first time in MotoGP testing new parts and trying to describe my impressions as accurately as possible. So the preparation wasn’t easy – but we found a way.”
“Of course, we had some difficult moments in the first few races, but we saw that the potential is definitely there. Sure, we’re still struggling in certain areas of riding – but in the end, everything worked well here.”
