Having finished third in his sophomore campaign last year with victories in Argentina, France and India, Bezzecchi was expected to carry his form into 2024 as he moved to the GP23 bike with which Francesco Bagnaia won the 2023 title for the factory Ducati team.
Although still not getting parity in equipment to some other riders within the Ducati stable after foregoing a move to Pramac, the Italian has made an underwhelming start to the new season, struggling to 14th in the Qatar opener before grabbing a more respectable sixth-place result in Portugal.
With zero additional points from the two sprint races held so far, Bezzecchi sits a distant 13th in the championship and ahead of only one Ducati rider in the standings - the recovering Franco Morbidelli.
Speaking in Portugal, the 25-year-old explained that he still does not feel natural on the 2023-spec Desmosedici, as he continues his adaptation from the GP22 bike that behaved completely differently under braking.
“I have to change [my riding style]," he said. "I'm still trying to change because it's still not automatic for me to ride in this way.
“Last year I was really strong to bring the bike in[to the corners] with a lot of braking, a lot of pressure on the brake. I was really strong on that point, to stop the point at an angle.
Source: Autosport