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Aprilia credits Valentino Rossi for Marco Bezzecchi’s ‘unexpected’ Austria MotoGP pole
Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola attributed Marco Bezzecchi’s surprise pole position at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix to the help and guidance provided by MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi.
The Red Bull Ring has historically been a challenging track for Aprilia, making Bezzecchi’s pole even more unexpected after a tough Friday session where he initially missed out on direct Q2 entry alongside teammate Jorge Martin.
Bezzecchi’s stunning performance in Q1, aided by a timely tow from Pecco Bagnaia, saw him secure pole position by posting a time of 1m28.060s, edging out Alex Marquez by a mere 0.016s.
Rivola expressed his surprise and gratitude after qualifying, acknowledging both Bagnaia’s support during the session and Rossi’s valuable advice provided to Bezzecchi on the previous day.
Rossi, a nine-time world champion, had been assisting Bezzecchi at the Red Bull Ring, with the rider mentioning that they worked together until late at night in the Aprilia garage to address some issues and make improvements.
This marked Bezzecchi’s first pole position with Aprilia and his first in the MotoGP class since his time with VR46 Ducati at the 2023 Indian Grand Prix.
