Marco Bezzecchi celebrates 'fantastic race' as Neil Hodgson says Italian has 'found a home' at Aprilia after Portugal Grand Prix victory

Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi comfortably won the Portugal Grand Prix on Sunday after finishing in third place in the Sprint race on Saturday. The Italian looks on course for a third-place finish in the world title standings after Ducati Lenovo rider Francesco Bagnaia crashed out, and TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson believes the rider is at the right team.

Highlights: Bezzecchi secures win at Portugal Grand Prix as Marquez takes second place

Video credit: TNT Sports

Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi celebrated a "fantastic race" after he won the Portugal Grand Prix, with Neil Hodgson saying "he’s found a home" at the Italian team.

Bezzecchi was third in the Sprint on Saturday after dropping down two spots from pole, but on Sunday he led from the front without interruption, and looked calm and comfortable throughout, despite Alex Marquez’s best efforts.

Hodgson told TNT Sports: "So impressive. Absolutely perfect from him. He's found a home there at Aprilia, hasn’t he?

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"He looks so good on that bike, gets the most out of the package, and he is constantly improving that package.

"It's going to be interesting next weekend [in Valencia]. Literally a polar-opposite track. I've not checked the forecast."

Bezzecchi added: "Very happy. It was a fantastic race for me. This morning, I felt better, and yesterday evening, we worked a lot in the box to try to find that last step that we missed [in the Sprint race].

"I was super afraid of Pedro [Acosta] and Alex, because yesterday they were super quick, but I was also very motivated to try to get a win, and the boys made a fantastic job. I'm very happy. Super important to be back on the top of the podium, and I enjoyed a lot."

While Marc Marquez utterly dominated to the point that his late injury did not affect the course of the world title, his team-mate Francesco Bagnaia crashed out and it appears certain that he will not be able to regain third place in the championship standings.

Bagnaia and Marquez appear to have different preferences when it comes to the Ducati vintages, with the Italian favouring a setup closer to the 2024 vehicle, and the Spaniard entirely comfortable with the current formula.

'It's a bit sketchy' - Bagnaia crashes at Portugal Grand Prix for another disappoinment

Video credit: TNT Sports

On Tuesday, the teams have a chance to test the design packages they are readying for the 2026 season with a track session in Valencia.

The Ducati team are refining their designs ahead of the new season, and with Marquez missing out through his injury, that may give Bagnaia an opportunity to influence the design in his favour.

Hodgson wondered how the team would approach it, saying: "The Tuesday after Valencia is a big day for Ducati, to try to get a direction.

"Clearly, the '25 Ducati has not been as good as the '24 [for Bagnaia]. What are they going to do? Are they going to reverse engineer it to the 24-spec engine?"

Hodgson praises 'unreal' champion Marquez

Turning to Alex Marquez, who is 100 points behind his older brother Marc in the title standings, Hodgson praised the younger man while acknowledging just how convincing Marc’s title win had been.

He added: "It underlines what a fantastic season he's had. You win the Sprint, and you're second in the race, it underlines what a year he's had.

"Still 100 points behind his brother. Unreal, isn’t it?"

Highlights: Marquez overcomes Acosta in thriller to clinch Portugal Grand Prix Sprint race

Video credit: TNT Sports

Hodgson also said that with Jorge Martin likely to return for Aprilia next week, it would give him little more than the chance to grow accustomed to a bike that he has rarely been able to get to grips with.

The Spaniard was keen on ending his contract with the team earlier in the season before announcing he was impressed by the package on offer, but has been beset by injuries that have prevented him from putting up a fight to retain his 2024 title.

Hodgson said the race weekend "will be a case of him just riding around that weekend to get a feeling, and, generally, more focused on the Tuesday of the test day. The first day you get to really test the 2026 machinery."

Watch and stream every race of the 2025 MotoGP season live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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Thoughts?