MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia has responded to recent form threats from Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin to set the fastest lap at Misano on Friday.
Bagnaia was quickest in hot afternoon temperatures at the San Marino Grand Prix and his home circuit where he won MotoGP races in 2021 and 2022. The Italian is still struggling to change direction smoothly on the GP24 after his crash in Aragon last Sunday and waited until the final minutes to clock a time just three-tenths of a second from the lap record, set by Martin last year.
Martin, the current championship leader, was third fastest and less than three tenths behind his main title rival, with Marc Marquez splitting the pair in second. The Catalan is competing at the venue of his previous win in 2021 with Honda – having ended his win drought last weekend at Aragon.
Franco Morbidelli claimed the San Marino GP in 2020 and was able to enter the top 10 and therefore also Q2 with his last flying effort. The Italian placed leapt up to fourth place and registered his lap time in spite of a crash by Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro that activated yellow lights and flags through Turn 1 and Turn 2 with less than two minutes to go.
In fifth was Bagnaia’s team-mate Enea Bastianini who classified ahead of Tech3’s Pedro Acosta in sixth – the first of the non-Ducati riders.
The Spaniard initially fronted the session by matching the best lap times from FP1, but then had a slow speed crash into Turn 8, one of only six left hand corners at the historic layout, with seven minutes of the session remaining.
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull GASGAS Tech3
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Another local, Marco Bezzecchi, was seventh for VR46 Ducati with Maverick Viñales as the first of the Aprilia quartet in eighth.
Fabio Quartararo hovered in the top 10 for most of the session despite a glitch with a swingarm wing that snapped off his Yamaha on the approach to Turn 8 as well as several off-track or off-line excursions. The Frenchman produced his most competitive practice pace of the season for ninth place and a Q2 spot.
Jack Miller grabbed a tow from Bagnaia to occupy 10th and the last Q2 spot, but KTM team-mate Brad Binder was 11th and the main victim of Morbidelli’s last-gasp effort, and being dumped out of the top 10 in the dying seconds means the South African has work to do in order to burst out of Q1 on Saturday morning.
Aleix Espargaro led his younger brother Pol, as the siblings settled in 12th and 13th for Aprilia and KTM respectively, with Miguel Oliveira 14th for Trackhouse Aprilia.
Honda could again count on Johann Zarco as its leading rider on the RC213V, as factory rider Joan Mir missed the Friday action due to a stomach virus, but he should be able to join Q1 tomorrow.
