Bezzecchi bides his time for ‘indescribable’ Mugello win

Marco Bezzecchi during MotoGP at Mugello.

Bezzecchi racked up his 10th career win and fourth of the season to continue his stranglehold on the MotoGP title race.

“The win in Mugello was fantastic – a dream that I’ve had since childhood,” said Bezzecchi.

“I used to always come here with my father, my mother, and my sisters to see MotoGP, and I dreamed of being there someday.

“Over time, that dream became a desire to win right here. Winning in Mugello was an indescribable emotion, as well as seeing all the fans and the team happy and emotional.”

🚥 LIGHTS OUT in #MotoGP 🚥@88jorgemartin TAKES THE LEAD as @25RaulFernandez goes wide!#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/ejZLFngdpt

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 31, 2026

From pole position, Bezzecchi got the hole shot into Turn 1 while second place starter Raul Fernandez made a mess of the first corner and went too deep, falling to 17th.

Bezzecchi led the first lap ahead of his Aprilia teammate Jorge Martin while factory Ducati riders Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez occupied third and fourth respectively.

A mistake on Lap 2 by Martin opened the door for Bagnaia to bag second place. On Lap 3, he used the superior straightline speed of his Ducati to take the lead from Bezzecchi at Turn 1.

Bezzecchi never let Bagnaia get away, however. On Lap 14, the Italian riders swapped positions as Bagnaia faded.

Second became third for Bagnaia on Lap 16 when Martin returned serve at Turn 1.

BEZ HITS THE FRONT 🚨

He had been cooking this for a few laps! 👨‍🍳#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/OKghe8S1Mb

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 31, 2026

The Aprilia riders ultimately skipped away, leaving Bagnaia to fend off a late attack from Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura.

“It was a very intense race,” said Bagnaia.

“I gave it everything, as I should, and maybe a little more as well. This morning, we made a step forward with the start and improved an aspect of the electronics that helped me a lot.

“The goal from the beginning was to take the lead and manage the race, and I was able to do so for half the race.

“Then the rear grip started to fade and when Bezzecchi overtook me, I chose not to push too hard, and I believe it was the right decision.

“Despite the improvements, we still struggle with grip and tyre wear, especially mid-corner, but we need to keep working in this direction.”

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! 🤯@marcmarquez93 back into 4th with a double overtake ⚔️#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/2NiSQ4Em67

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 31, 2026

Returning from injury, Marquez couldn’t quite hold onto fourth place.

Marquez spent most of the contest warring with factory KTM rider Pedro Acosta, though the superior speed of the Aprilia meant Ogura got by both of them.

Marquez ultimately finished seventh. Ogura was fourth, Fabio Digiannantonio fifth for VR46, and Acosta sixth.

“I’m very happy with how the weekend went,” said Marquez.

“I managed to show my speed at times, but I knew that I would struggle a bit more over race distance. I was still able to battle for fourth place for most of the race and that’s a positive.

“I had a hard time in the right-handers and, towards the end, also with the changes of direction, but I think it’s normal as this is one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar.

“I tried to use all the tricks up my sleeve, but the others were simply quicker.

“I’m happy because this is a very important first step in my recovery and we’ll see how much we can improve in the upcoming races.”

Bezzecchi leads Martin in the riders’ championship by 17 points.

MotoGP returns on June 5-7 for the Grand Prix of Hungary at Balaton Park.

Results: MotoGP Grand Prix of Italy, Mugello Circuit