Marco Bezzecchi reveals Valentino Rossi talks during title slump
· Yahoo Sports
MotoGP title contender Marco Bezzecchi has revealed he spoke to mentor Valentino Rossi during his mid-season struggles.
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The Italian won the first three races of the 2026 season, but since victory in Italy in round seven, he’s gone pointless at the last four events.
Bezzecchi’s disastrous run was triggered by an assault on a marshal in Hungary, resulting in a race ban. A combination of poor performances, crashes and injuries has seen him drop from first in the championship down to fourth ahead of the summer break.
‘Bez’ has undergone double surgery and looks to stage a fightback at Silverstone this weekend and admitted he spent some time with an expert in doing so.
A VR46 Academy rider, Bezzecchi spoke about his time with Rossi during the summer break.
Bezzecchi focused on recovery rather than the championship
At a fan event in London, he was asked about the nine-time world champion and responded: “Yeah, obviously I saw him, I spoke to him.
“But being completely honest, we didn't really speak too much about the championship at the moment because we didn't think about it too much. My physical condition was the main item, let's say.
“So, of course, I spoke to him, I stayed with him, and it's always good to spend some time with him. But we will speak, hopefully, about the championship after seeing how I feel on the bike.”
Bezzecchi still needs medical clearance from MotoGP to take part at Silverstone after a collarbone break and knee clean-up surgery.
The assembled riders discussed their different approaches to the month off, and while many tried to rest, Bezzecchi admitted he’s been rather relentless.
“Well, during the summer break, I tried to recover in the best way possible,” he said. “So I never stopped training and trying to recover.
“Physically, I did this during the summer: gym every day. And fortunately, I could also try the bike one day before coming here.
“So it was a very, very nice emotion on the bike, much, much better than the gym, for sure. But basically, this was it.”
Bezzecchi desperately needs to get back on the podium soon (Photo: Monster Media House)Bezzecchi desperately needs to get back on the podium soon (Photo: Monster Media House)
Bezzecchi refuses to give up on 2026 title fight
Finally, Bezzecchi spoke about his faltering title hopes, having gone from 17 clear at the top to 22 behind leader Jorge Martin.
“It's true that it will not be easy, especially right now,” he said. "But, for sure, I will try my best to at least be able to fight until the end, and then we will see if, close to the final round of the championship, I will still be in the fight.
“I will have extra motivation to try to be able to fight with them. At the moment, it's true that we are already halfway through the championship, but halfway means that it's still very long.
“So let's try to make a decent comeback here in Silverstone, and then we will have a bit more time to fix the last details on my body. And then from Aragon, for sure, it will be a war.”