Indian Grand Prix winner Marco Bezzecchi conceded he felt his move on Francesco Bagnaia for the lead at the start of the MotoGP race was “a bit aggressive.”
The VR46 Ducati pilot was forced to recover from a rather average start that saw him drop to third after starting from the pole, Bezzecchi quickly moving into second after Jorge Martin ran wide at Turn 4 on the opening tour while battling with Bagnaia.
Keen to establish his pace at the head of the race, Bezzecchi blazed after friend and fellow VR46 academy graduate Bagnaia across the rest of the first lap before boldly diving down the inside of the factory Ducati racer at the final bend.
Bezzecchi pulled off the move effectively and never looked back, the Italian securing his third victory of 2023 by a mammoth 8.6 seconds over Martin as he reduced his points deficit to Bagnaia down to 44 after the series leader crashed while running second in the latter stages.
Admitting he felt his move on Bagnaia was “a bit aggressive”, Bezzecchi explained that he was left “really motivated” ahead of the Indian GP to make up for his tough sprint outing on Saturday that saw him battle back from 18th to fifth after being hit by team-mate Luca Marini at the opening corner.
“The race wasn’t easy for sure, it was really tough with the heat and everything but I felt good on the bike,” said Bezzecchi.
“After yesterday I was really motivated to bounce back and I felt confident I could do better than fifth.
“I started well and I knew that Jorge (Martin) and Pecco (Bagnaia) would probably pass me because they have something more with the starts, so I tried to remain calm and stay close to them. I then got the possibility to get to the front, I was a bit aggressive (final corner pass on Bagnaia) but I had to do it.
“Afterwards I tried to make my pace and push while using the tyre the best I could, I felt amazing so I’m very happy with the performance.”
Having been the man to beat for most of the inaugural Indian GP weekend, Bezzecchi added that he “liked the track from the first time I rode it”. He also revealed that he had focussed on improving his performance in braking zones for this event, as this was an area he felt Bagnaia had him consistently beaten in previous races.
“I liked this track from the first time I rode on it, I felt good everywhere because there were hard braking (zones) and fast corners, as well as the chicanes,” continued Bezzecchi.
“Physically the changes of direction were easier with the hand, so it was easier than in Misano so sector three was fantastic to ride, and the hard braking areas I really enjoyed.
“I focussed hard on this part because Pecco in particular normally makes the difference here, so this weekend I started thinking about making the gap in the braking areas.”
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