Marco Bezzecchi, 25 years old from Viserba, Rimini. Long, curly hair, ready wit and a tendency to dress in hip hop style. He has also taken another trait from US culture, albeit in a joking form: the trash talking he often uses against his rival friend Pecco Bagnaia.

In this interview Bez analysed his (as yet unfinished) year by grading his season but, as one does in school, dissecting the race weekend into four aspects:

- ability to set up the bike

- time attack

- sprint

- long race

The result was a rather low grade as Bez has surprised everyone this year with three wins in the Sunday races, one in the Sprint, three poles and several other podiums. In short, he is the surprise of this 2023 but the low 7 he gave himself is a sign of maturity.

A maturity that those who know him well say had already surfaced in Moto2 when, powerless in the face of the two Ajo Gardner and Raul Fernandez, he concentrated on doing the best he could, finishing third in the championship, as he had already done in Moto2 and as he is doing in MotoGP.

Even after his first podium in the top class, last year at Assen, he had said: "I don't want this podium finish to lead to more mistakes". In short, a mature, ambitious rider who wants to grow further.

And to do so he has decided to stay with the same team, refusing an official Ducati and a direct contract with the Borgo Panigale factory.