It sounds like a workshop joke, a hall superstition, or even a wink from fate. Yet the numbers don't lie: every time Marco Bezzecchi has won a MotoGP Grand Prix, Francesco Bagnaia has crashed. Six wins, six crashes. A statistic so strange it seems made up… but it isn't. The two friends, members of the same Academy, have unwittingly created one of the most fascinating curiosities in modern MotoGP.
The story begins in 2023, When Argentine Grand PrixOn a waterlogged track, Bezzecchi soars to his first MotoGP victory. Behind him, bagnaia He chased the podium… before going into retirement eight laps from the finish. He restarted, finished 16th, out of the points. Episode one.
A few weeks later, the scene repeated itself at Mans, during the legendary 1000th Grand Prix in history. BezzecchHe triumphs, while bagnaia clings with Maverick Vinales and gives up. Two out of two.
The third occurrence of the season takes place in India, where Bez once again dominates from start to finish while bagnaiaOnce again, he fell while trying to keep up with the pace.
At the time, the series was laughable. No one imagined that it would come back to haunt the Italian in the following years.
In 2024, Bezzecchi He didn't win any Sunday Grand Prix. The result: a break in this strange curse. A parenthesis… that would only last a year.
Because in 2025, if Bezzecchi He changed motorcycles, but the curse remained. Transferred to ApriliaBezzecchi opens his 2025 account to Silverstoneinheriting the lead after the breakdown of fabio quartararoBagnaia, meanwhile, has been down since the fourth lap. History repeats itself.
À PortimãoBez wins after a dominant performance. Pecco crashes again on lap 11. Second episode of the year.
And to ValenciaIn the 2025 final, the unbelievable happens again: Bez escapes to a resounding victory, while bagnaia, caught in a collision with Johann zarco, slips into the gravel on the very first lap.
Will the Bagnaia-Bezzecchi curse continue in 2026?
The whole thing makes us Bezzecchi had six career victories, while Bagnaia suffered six crashes on the same day.The statistic is becoming almost embarrassing.
The series is set in a paradoxical context: bagnaia is coming off the most difficult season of his career, marked by Sept falls on Sunday and a fifth Now it's time for the championship, after two titles and a runner-up finish. Conversely, Bezzecchi concludes his best season, rising Aprilia ranked third in the world, equaling the best performance in the brand's history.
While bagnaia loses its footing, Bezzecchi He establishes himself among the top men in MotoGP. And their days of glory continue to echo each other… in stark contrast to one another.
In 2026, both drivers remain with their current teams: bagnaia at Ducati, Bezzecchi at Aprilia. There's no indication that the streak will end, but there's also no indication that it will continue. Yet, it's already fueling discussions in a superstitious paddock, where they love to connect the dots even when they have no rational basis.
It is seen as a sign of destiny, an invisible rivalry, a fratricidal duel between two children of the VR46 AcademyAn ironic twist from sport, where trajectories that were supposed to complement each other end up diverging.
One thing is certain: the next victory of Bezzecchi will be scrutinized as much as bagnaia himself, because this strange statistical mechanism has become one of the most unexpected recurring themes of the MotoGP modern.
