DI GIANNANTONIO, MARTIN AND MARQUEZ SET THEIR SIGHTS ON MISANO AS BEZZECCHI PLAYS DOWN HOME PRESSURE

Fabio Di Giannantonio arrives at Misano with plenty at stake, both because it is close to the VR46 team’s base in Tavullia and because he is riding current Ducati factory machinery. The pressure is heightened by a recent dip in form: after the German Grand Prix, his performance curve dropped. A sprint podium in Germany was followed by crashes and finishes of fifth, sixth, and seventh. While the results hurt momentum, Di Giannantonio said the damage in the championship has been limited, helped in part by the injury-related absence of Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura.

In the standings, Di Giannantonio sits fourth, 53 points behind leader Jorge Martin. Immediately ahead of him is Marco Bezzecchi, and Di Giannantonio admitted that the two have not been on equal footing heading into Misano. He also acknowledged the familiar “extra push” that Italian fans can provide at the Adriatic circuit, but stressed that he expects a difficult weekend regardless. “Of course, as Italians here in Misano we always get a certain extra push from the fans,” he said. “But I still expect a pretty tough weekend. There have been moments this year where you couldn’t really say: ‘This is an Aprilia track’ or ‘This is a Ducati track’—most recently in Aragon. But the fact is: last year Marco was ready for pole here. To be right at the front, for me everything has to be perfect. But we’ll try.”

Di Giannantonio was equally frank about what he believes is missing. He noted that the table may make him look consistent, but he feels he has not yet delivered that consistency at the very top. “In the standings it looks like I’m very consistent,” he said, “but what I’m missing is consistency right at the front. I don’t feel completely there. What I can’t do is to execute everything perfectly—from a perfect qualifying to perfect races without mistakes. Marc, on the other hand, manages that. He has the ability to ride perfect weekends. That’s something I still need to learn and keep working on.”

He also questioned whether Misano is the ideal venue for him personally. While he has previously enjoyed good results in smaller categories, he said it took “very, very many laps” on the Panigale during training before Misano started to feel enjoyable. “But Misano was never my favorite track,” he added.

The Ducati’s potential at Misano has been demonstrated before. Di Giannantonio pointed to last year’s San Marino Grand Prix, where Bezzecchi fought Marc Marquez closely and narrowly lost to the rider who went on to become world champion and later joined Ducati Lenovo.

Jorge Martin, meanwhile, arrived at the Misano opener with the lead already under pressure. After two fifth-place finishes at MotorLand Aragon, his advantage shrank to under 20 points, and Bezzecchi—on the cusp of his home race—was reported to be 24 points behind. Martin said he doesn’t want to label himself as the favorite: “Ich war nie derjenige, der der Favorit war, so ist es auch jetzt. Aber wir sind alle hier, um zu gewinnen.” He also insisted he feels ready for the weekend: “Misano is a good place for me and after Aragon wasn’t so strong, I really want to show up here. I feel good—I'm still at 100 percent.”

The weekend’s injury picture also loomed large. Speedweek reported that Ai Ogura and Maverick Vinales are missing the second Italian event of the season, and Martin said his confidence for a return comes from preparation—while admitting that sometimes the team doesn’t take enough time to find the right feeling: “What I’ve learned from the injuries is to take a bit more time, so you have the right feeling.”

Marc Marquez heads to Misano after a strong Aragon run that included a double win. Speedweek noted that in 2025 Marquez won the Grand Prix on the Italian circuit, and in the sprint he had to retire. Overall, he has six GP victories at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in the premier class, and he suggested the track suits him more than Aragon. “Es ist keine Strecke wie Aragon, wo ich die letzten beiden Male 37 Punkte holte. Wir versuchen aber, 100 Prozent zu geben und herauszufinden, wo die Aprilia-Fahrer stehen. Letztes Jahr war hier Marco das gesamte Wochenende sehr stark,” he said.

Marquez also addressed speculation around his health after posting a photo on social media showing his bare torso, with the visible marks from multiple operations on his right arm and shoulder. He said he was tired of repeatedly answering the same questions. “Ich habe bereits in Aragon gesagt, dass ich etwas müde bin, immer dieselbe Frage zu beantworten… Das ist der beste Weg, um die Spekulationen zu beenden,” he explained. He added that he showed his “real situation” and that his doctor had spoken about the impact of the injury from Indonesia 2025, saying there was nothing more to add. “Wenn ich um die Meisterschaft kämpfen will, brauche ich meine gesamte Energie auf der Rennstrecke,” Marquez stressed.

Bezzecchi played down any automatic expectation of a Misano win despite the home-race backdrop. Speedweek recalled that last year he missed out on victory by only a few tenths after a Saturday sprint win and a long Sunday fight with Marquez. This time, Bezzecchi said the conditions and package are different: “Das diesjährige Motorrad ist ein völlig anderes als im Vorjahr und auch die Voraussetzungen sind ganz anders. Letztes Jahr war das Wetter perfekt, dieses Jahr wird es verzwickter.” He also pointed to fitness issues, saying his shoulder is “finally” back in order but his knee is still making life difficult.

A further name to watch is Yamaha rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu, who arrived with a nostalgic reminder of his last Misano visit in Superbike: “Als ich das letzte Mal in Misano gefrühstückt habe, da hatte ich drei Rennsiege in Folge gefahren.” He said he “really” likes the circuit and wants to enjoy it again, adding that after a weak Friday in Aragon, the team had shown a big improvement in the races and he hopes to carry that feeling over with the new setting.

Razgatlioglu’s focus for Misano is qualifying. “Wir werden uns hier sehr viel stärker auf ein gutes Abschneiden im Qualifying konzentrieren,” he said, explaining that if he can reach 10th place, “einiges möglich” becomes realistic. He also praised VR46’s Nicolo Bulega ahead of his 2027 confirmation, calling it “the right time” and saying he’s “excited” because Bulega “deserved” it. Razgatlioglu believes Bulega will arrive with a strong package and the advantage of already being involved in Pirelli’s MotoGP tyre development, with “zehn oder zwölf” sessions completed, plus a riding style that could suit the 850cc MotoGP machine.

Also heading into Misano on the back of a difficult Aragon weekend is Fabio Quartararo. Speedweek reported that in the MotoGP Sprint his M1 engine failed in the fifth lap, and in the Grand Prix he finished last, more than 51 seconds behind the winner. Quartararo said Misano is a circuit he likes, adding: “Es ist eine Strecke, dich ich mag. Ich habe hier gute Erinnerungen.” He pointed to the grip and tyre wear, saying the grip is good and tyre degradation is not as severe, while the team will try to maximise results with their package. He also underlined that power still matters, noting that although the start-finish straight is not as long, there are other sections where riders are in sixth gear and performance is important. After frustration at Aragon, Quartararo said he had a “gemeinsames Meeting” with Yamaha last week and that “wir hatten alles geklärt,” though he would not say what was discussed. He admitted that, due to frustration, he may have said things that were not right, and said he wants to handle frustration better—stressing that he is competitive and wants to fight, but sometimes lets frustration build too much.