P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Marco Bezzecchi made a crucial decision about his MotoGP future last year. The first round of the 2024 season provided a host of reasons to declare that decision was a needless, campaign-compromising own goal
The start of the 2024 MotoGP season has brought a lot of scrutiny on Marco Bezzecchi’s decision to choose a year-old bike with Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team over a factory Ducati contract at Pramac. However, this decision was not as unreasonable as it seemed at the time. Bezzecchi had seen the potential of a year-old Ducati and trusted his mentor’s team to support him effectively. The gamble was to avoid potential teething problems and focus on securing a factory seat by 2025. Despite the logic behind his choice, Bezzecchi has been struggling with the 2023 Ducati, facing challenges with engine braking similar to Enea Bastianini’s experiences with the same bike last year. While Bastianini has shown improvement with the GP24, Bezzecchi is aiming to make adjustments early to avoid falling into a similar struggle. Overall, Bezzecchi’s decision was calculated, but the current challenges highlight the unpredictable nature of MotoGP.
