After Argentina, the French MotoGP Grand Prix is the second time where Marco Bezzecchi showed up at the post-race conference as the GP winner.
With no real opponent during the race, the VR46 Racing Team driver is only one point away from leading the championship, after having taken the lead from Argentina to Texas, which makes him a very serious contender. upon arriving in Italy…
As usual, we report his words here without the slightest formatting.
First of all, congratulations! A very spectacular race, 1000th Grand Prix, a sold-out audience. Tell us about that special moment when you crossed the finish line, your first MotoGP victory, because that must have been a fantastic feeling…
Marco Bezzecchi : " It was a fantastic feeling. Thank you so much. It was an incredible day for me. Honestly, this morning I didn't expect to do this kind of race, but already yesterday I felt very good on the bike and I knew that with a good start I could do something more. Obviously, I wasn't expecting a victory, but in any case a good race. But today, when I started, I saw that I was faster than the guys in front of me. I was a little afraid for the temperature of the front tire, because with the soft I was a little at the limit for my riding style, but yes, I was able to overtake them and once in the lead, I I was able to maintain a good pace. I felt very good with my bike and I was able to escape lap after lap, always a little more. I'm very, very happy for that and also with a lot of people and finally in the dry: it was OK. »
It was a great race Marco. There are so many important moments for you. One of them of course concerns your teammate Luca Marini. A very scary incident at the exit of turn 4, in which you were almost involved. Can you tell us about it from your point of view?
«
Yes, I was a little faster than Luca in turn 1, so I was trying to prepare an overtake for the chicane and I almost made it. But he braked very late and was able to close the door for me. Then on the right he cut a lot in the corner and I thought he was definitely going to go wide on the exit. I didn't expect him to come close to an accident. Once I was able to avoid him, I didn't know what happened, but on the next lap I saw the flags and thought it was for Luca or someone another one. And when I saw the replay, it was a very ugly accident to see, so I hope he's okay. Fortunately, I was able to avoid the upper part of his body because that would have been very dangerous, but I saw that Alex unfortunately couldn't do anything. I hope he is well. »
Marco, you then fought with Marc Márquez. You had an aggressive move on the inside at turn 8. You had to drop down one position. Do you agree with this penalty?
« Yes, first of all, I agree with the penalty. I was expecting it because honestly, I didn't want to pass but I made a mistake braking. I braked three meters further and once I saw that I wasn't going to stop, I had to go inside so as not to hit Marc in the back. So I pushed it to the outside and came out of the corner as well. I was expecting the penalty and I was already thinking that I will definitely have to lose a position within a lap or two. So, yes, I agree. »
And of course, this victory means that at some point during the evening, I'm sure you'll lose your mustache. I'm surprised you still have it...
«
Yes, I won't wait until tonight. I will do it after the press conference. I'm going there because I'm very ugly like that. »
You told Austin it was too early to think about the championship, but you are only one point behind Pecco, and your consistency has been good. Should you consider yourself part of the fight for the championship?
« It's good to be close to Pecco at the moment, but honestly I'm not thinking about the championship yet, first of all because we saw that we have the Sprint and the big GP on the same weekend. It's very easy to lose everything very quickly. So I just want to continue like that, thinking weekend by weekend, race by race, having fun with the bike and with my guys who are fantastic. And now we are also going to Mugello, so it will be a very nice weekend. »
Marco, Valentino recently said that the rivalry between you and Pecco was special because you spend a lot of time together at MotoRanch. Can you tell us about it?
« It's always the same thing outside. In the end, we stayed together many, many times at home, but also here, during the races. At home, more than during races, but also during races, he often comes to see me to say hello and we then talk a little. We are very friendly, we are very good friends, but it is difficult to have friends on the track. So I want to try to continue like this. You know, it's difficult because in MotoGP, the rivalry is very strong, the competition is very strong. But having a friend like him and like the other Academy members makes things a little easier, so I hope to continue like that with him. »
Results of the French MotoGP Grand Prix at Le Mans:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
