Marco Bezzecchi finished Friday’s Qatar Grand Prix session in third place, behind Marc Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio. The Aprilia RS-GP showed particularly strong pace on the medium tyre, giving its rider an encouraging starting point for the rest of the weekend.

Francesco Bagnaia said Bezzecchi looked as though he was competing in “another sport” on the medium compound. Bezzecchi offered a more restrained reading of the situation, saying that he felt comfortable on that tyre from the opening laps while stressing that the picture came from Friday alone. He used the medium for five laps overall and found the soft tyre more difficult to handle.

For Bezzecchi, the contrast with last year’s Qatar event is significant. Aprilia had struggled heavily at the circuit then, whereas this time he felt more at ease through two or three sections where he had previously been unable to find an effective solution. He linked the improvement to progress in his own riding as well as to Aprilia’s work on the electronics.

The RS-GP has not, however, lost its distinctive character. Bezzecchi said the motorcycle moves around more, especially at the beginning of a weekend when the team starts from its baseline settings. Track work makes it easier to manage, but its nervous behaviour remains part of the package. Third place is a positive opening for Bezzecchi and Aprilia, while his comments make clear that more work remains at Qatar.