Marco Bezzecchi Baffled by Pace Drop in Japanese GP Sprint

Marco Bezzecchi expressed confusion over his lack of pace after finishing "one second too slow" in the Japanese Grand Prix sprint at Motegi. The 27-year-old factory Aprilia rider had previously recorded strong lap times using the same Michelin medium rear compound during Saturday morning practice.

Bezzecchi was one of only two riders to select the medium rear tyre for the 12-lap race, alongside Pramac Yamaha's Jack Miller. Despite three rivals being eliminated early in a crash triggered by Alex Marquez, Bezzecchi moved backward through the field to finish a distant sixth aboard his Aprilia. Ducati's Marc Marquez won the sprint, while Jorge Martin finished third despite encountering late issues on his soft rear tyre.

During the FP2 session on Saturday morning, Bezzecchi topped the timesheets ahead of his team-mate Martin and KTM's Pedro Acosta, posting a lap time of 1m43.321s on a 16-lap-old rear tyre. However, during the sprint, he breached the 1m44s mark only once, with his personal best time of 1m43.873s being half a second slower than his FP2 performance.

Bezzecchi explained that choosing the medium tyre was a calculated decision aimed at managing rear tyre temperatures, though he conceded in hindsight that the soft compound would have yielded better results. When asked to explain the stark contrast in performance between final practice and the sprint, the Italian stated he preferred to check everything before making any assumptions.