MARCO BEZZECCHI TOPS MISANO FP1 AHEAD OF MARC MARQUEZ AS MILLER AND ACOSTA CRASH

Friday practice at the 2026 Misano MotoGP got the San Marino weekend moving with FP1 scheduled for 10:45 local time, followed by another session later in the afternoon at 15:00 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The title fight atmosphere was already intense, with Jorge Martin arriving for what he described as his final Italian race with Aprilia. He heads into the championship battle with a 19-point advantage over Marc Marquez and, in the press conference, insisted he has “not been the clear favourite for the 2026 title at any point this season,” pointing to two fifth-place finishes at Aragon two weeks earlier.

The local spotlight in the paddock was on Marco Bezzecchi, and on Friday he underlined why. The Aprilia rider from Rimini set about building the best possible platform for the weekend, keeping his work “error-free” even early on a track that wasn’t perfectly warmed. In FP1 he was quickest in the end only by a narrow margin, with Marc Marquez holding the edge by 0.060s on the final lap. Speedweek reported that Bezzecchi’s approach was systematic: a first push on medium rear tyres, then a mini “race simulation” with similar fast laps, before he tested the RS-GP even closer to the limit in the closing stages of the timed session.

Bezzecchi’s reward came in the afternoon when he struck late with a 1:30.144 to top the order. Speedweek noted that he came within a tenth of the lap record and also secured a small cushion behind him, with the 2–10 spread packed into just 0.4 seconds. After the day’s work, he said: “It was a good start in the event and we could complete our programme as planned.” He added that the next step is needed: “We have a good base, but now we have to put it into practice and make the next step on Saturday. We are on a good way, but I see several places where I can improve—my riding itself, but also what the motorcycle concerns.”

Bezzecchi also addressed tyre options, saying he has already ridden Misano with softs and that both compounds are viable because degradation isn’t as severe. “At the end it’s just a matter of sensations. At the moment, soft is a possibility, and medium as well,” he said. Crash.net added that, despite the championship context, Bezzecchi said there is “no point in comparing himself at the moment to his title rivals.”

Marc Marquez, meanwhile, drew attention for reasons beyond results. His right arm has been a talking point after struggles at the right-handed Silverstone circuit while dominating at the left-handed MotorLand, and after he posted a social media photo suggesting a difference in muscle mass between his right and left arm. Speaking about the issue, Marquez said he “wasn’t angry” about Ducati footage released after Silverstone, in which he explained to his team the lack of strength in the weaker arm.

On Friday’s pace, Marquez admitted he was not matching the level he showed at Aragon. Crash.net reported him saying: “It’s true that in the end I finished second, but it was not like Aragon, when I was in the top three of the standings for all the practice.” He added: “I was struggling a bit and we need to work, we need to try to find something more.” He also stressed how tight the field is and why qualifying matters: “Everything is super close and tomorrow will be very important the qualifying practice. Because if you make some mistake, you can start in the second or even third row, and this is the biggest problem now in MotoGP.”

The rest of the day still had plenty of movement behind the front. In FP1, Raul Fernandez jumped to third on the Trackhouse Aprilia with a 1:31.601, while Alex Marquez was fourth on the Gresini Ducati. Johann Zarco finished fifth on the LCR Honda after switching to a fresh soft front late, ahead of Pedro Acosta and Luca Marini, who both also used a new soft front. Jorge Martin and Fabio Quartararo completed the top ten, while Bagnaia struggled for rhythm and finished FP1 down in 17th.

Timed practice later in the day added another layer. Bezzecchi and Marquez traded the lead as lap times dropped, with Bezzecchi eventually returning to top with 1:30.144. Morbidelli went P5, leaving Martin on the bubble in P10. Bagnaia continued to struggle, ending the first 30 minutes down in P14 after a moment in Turn 6 where he lost the front tyre on turn-in and returned to the garage, gesturing to engineers that the bike had “just suddenly snapped,” with a look of bewilderment.

Crash.net also reported that Franco Morbidelli received a long lap penalty after Practice for riding dangerously, with the sanction applying only to tomorrow’s grand prix and not today’s Sprint.

Qualifying picture from Friday underlined how close the fight for Q2 places is. With air temperature at 25°C as riders went out right on 15:00, Bezzecchi topped the session with 1:30.144, ahead of Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez. The rest of the Q2 line-up was completed by Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli, with Pedro Acosta sixth, Luca Marini seventh, Johann Zarco eighth and Pol Espargaro ninth. Jorge Martin narrowly held onto 10th for Q2, while no Yamahas made it through to Q2 on Friday afternoon. Bagnaia ended up 19th on the sister factory Ducati.

The Friday feel was also shaped by multiple departures and early incidents. Franco Morbidelli’s final home grand prix with VR46 is on the calendar, after earlier confirmation of his exit from MotoGP, and VR46 has announced Nicolo Bulega for 2027. Alex Rins is set for his last Misano race after announcing he will stop racing motorcycles after the 2026 season, while Brad Binder’s final Misano MotoGP comes after his move to WorldSBK with BMW was confirmed on Wednesday and Jack Miller’s last Misano appearance follows his announcement as a Yamaha WorldSBK rider for 2027.

FP1 began with early incidents after Thursday’s rain left a threat in the air. The track dried out despite the forecast, and when the session opened at 10:45 it looked completely dry. Within 45 seconds, Jack Miller’s Pramac Yamaha slid into the gravel at Turn 4 after the front slipped under braking. Pedro Acosta also crashed at Turn 1 early on, though he was able to rejoin after marshals’ intervention.

Saturday practice results then shifted the picture at the front: Marc Marquez led the final session at Misano with a 1:31.040, moving ahead of Jorge Martin (+0.007s) and Marco Bezzecchi (+0.039s). Marquez was on old soft tyres front and rear, while Bezzecchi used a medium front and soft rear, and Martin ran a medium rear. Franco Morbidelli, Alex Marquez and Raul Fernandez completed the top six, with Luca Marini crashing early in FP2 and Qualifying 1 set to begin for riders outside the top ten on Friday, including Pecco Bagnaia.