Valentino Rossi’s fingerprints remain all over MotoGP after Marco Bezzecchi triumph

Despite retiring at the end of the 2021 season, the seven-time MotoGP champion is still a prominent figure in the sport, and not just because he owns the Mooney VR46 team.

Sure, having your own team will keep you tied in to everything that is current with the sport, but Rossi’s impact on MotoGP and also many of its riders remains a key theme.

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Four of the current 22 MotoGP riders on the grid are part of the VR46 academy, which includes current MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia, Bezzecchi, Luca Marini and Franco Morbidelli.

All of those riders except Morbidelli have another key component in common, which is that they compete for Ducati who have the best machinery on the grid, but that’s not to take away from the impact Rossi is having, still.

Bagnaia, after several mistakes during the early part of 2022, was able to put together a stunning run of form in the second half of the season and become world champion.

Yes the Ducati rider was the man riding the bike, and yes he’s arguably the best rider on the grid at present, however, Bagnaia revealed that many chats with Rossi were key to him being able to turn his season around.

The type of advice very few are privy to, Bagnaia has arguably the greatest MotoGP rider in his corner which can only be a positive when it comes to experience, understanding situations and dealing with pressure, three things Bagnaia improved as the 2022 campaign went on. 

Now looking at his own MotoGP team, Bezzecchi and Marini are two riders that consistently challenge for the top positions, whether that was pre-season testing, free practice sessions, qualifying and races.

Marini is yet to put his potential into consistent results, although the former Moto2 runner-up to Enea Bastianini did claim a podium during the Sprint in Argentina.

However, last weekend was all about one rider which was Bezzecchi. Celebrating his win in identical fashion as Rossi several years ago by wearing an Argentina Football shirt on the podium, Bezzecchi looked like a Rossi clone when streaking away from the field in wet conditions, while never putting a foot wrong.

After winning the 26-lap race at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, Rossi was one of the first people Bezzecchi thanked: "For Vale, without him and the support of my family it was almost impossible. Vale gave me the possibility to grow as a person, as a rider and step up in the world championship and step up to MotoGP. Thanks to him!" 

While Rossi clearly wants to see Bezzecchi and Marini do well as they both ride for his team, the start of 2023 has also been about helping Morbidelli re-find his best form.

The Yamaha rider looked completely lost last season, so much so that Rossi is said to be spending 60% of his time working with Morbidelli, and 40% with the rest of the VR46 Academy riders.

If that’s true, then last weekend’s Argentina MotoGP could be proof of that as Morbidelli’s form turned around drastically as he out-performed Fabio Quartararo in every session, while finishing both races in the top five, something he had not achieved since round four of the 2021 season. 

As mentioned, the four riders part of Rossi’s tutelage are the ones aboard their machines and delivering the results needed, however, the nine-time world champion’s impact in MotoGP remains clear for everyone to see.