Marco Bezzecchi to stay at Valentino Rossi's VR46 for 2024 MotoGP season despite Pramac interest

Marco Bezzecchi has brought an end to speculation regarding his future by deciding to stay with Valentino Rossi’s Mooney VR46 team for the 2024 MotoGP season.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed an impressive start to the current campaign, winning two races to leave him third in the current overall driver standings.

However, there was speculation that this could be Bezzecchi’s final season with VR46. The 24-year-old reportedly faced a choice of either remaining with VR46 next season and racing on a year-old bike or switching to a factory machine at Pramac.

Brezzecchi was reportedly never keen to leave VR46, and the efforts of team president and MotoGP legend Rossi to persuade him to stay have paid off.

After the team published a video teasing Brezzecchi’s announcement on X (formerly Twitter), the team and driver confirmed the news.

“I am really happy to confirm that in 2024 I will be on track with the Mooney VR46 Racing Team,” Bezzecchi said.

“This team has been crucial to my career until now and into the future. I arrived here in 2020, in Moto2, we then landed together in 2022 in MotoGP and this year we had an incredible season so far.

"Continuing to grow in this working group, with the support of Ducati, is the most natural choice for me.

“2024 brings with it many expectations, but right now I want to focus on this season. We are currently fighting for the podium in the championship, we have the team title open with Luca [Marini] and I am sure that everyone in the team will give their all, even more than they have done so far, to achieve these goals.

Pramac has reportedly taken up the choice of running the two available GP24 Ducati options, meaning Bezzecchi will not be able to ride a factory-sec Desmosedici next season.

Next season will be the last of VR46's partnership with Ducati, with Yamaha hinted as a potential successor.

After securing a podium finish at the Austrian Grand Prix earlier this month, Bezzecchi joked that he would ask Rossi for a pay rise.

The young driver will look to put in another strong showing at the Catalunya Grand Prix on September 3.

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