Marco Bezzecchi tops Friday MotoGP pre-qualifying at Misano ahead of Marc Marquez

Friday pre-qualifying classification

Marco Bezzecchi set the fastest time during Friday pre-qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The Italian rider posted a lap of 1:30.144 on his Aprilia RS-GP, heading the timing sheets in front of four Ducati motorcycles. Marc Marquez finished second for the factory Ducati squad with a 1:30.247 lap, trailing Bezzecchi by 0.103 seconds. Alex Marquez took third place for Gresini Racing, finishing 82 milliseconds behind his brother. The VR46 Ducati lineup of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli secured fourth and fifth positions, while Pedro Acosta ended sixth on the KTM at more than three tenths of a second off the leading pace.

Rider assessments and garage reactions

Despite taking the top spot, Bezzecchi dealt with knee pain during the afternoon run and reported that his Aprilia machine felt nervous across the lap. He explained that reaching Q2 directly was the main objective of the session, though bike balance still requires adjustments before Saturday qualifying.

The level that everyone showed is incredible and Marc was very fast. He also did one less time attack so I expect him to be the favourite.

Marquez rejected the favourite tag and stated that he would readily settle for a podium finish given the close margins across the grid. He noted that tyre durability at Misano removes drop-off and permits riders to attack throughout every lap.

This circuit asks more than Silverstone, because the fact that the tyre does not drop allows pushing from start to finish. My goal is to perform at my best on Saturday and Sunday.

Di Giannantonio expressed confidence after finding strong performance on both soft and hard compound tyres. In contrast, Morbidelli reported recurring handling issues and voiced concern that he could lose positions during Saturday track action.

The fight for direct Q2 access

Luca Marini took seventh position on the Honda ahead of KTM Tech3 rider Johann Zarco. At 35 years of age, test rider Pol Espargaro placed ninth while replacing Maverick Viñales, celebrating in the garage with his daughter after finishing ahead of several regular competitors. World championship leader Jorge Martin claimed tenth place on the second factory Aprilia, securing the final direct transfer ticket into Q2. Enea Bastianini missed tenth place by 0.014 seconds, dropping into Saturday's Q1 session alongside Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez and Fermin Aldeguer. Francesco Bagnaia finished pre-qualifying in 19th position, ending the session 1.2 seconds behind teammate Marquez.

Morning free practice and weekend progression

The afternoon order followed an opening free practice session in the morning led by Marc Marquez with a lap time of 1:31.468. Bezzecchi followed in second place during that morning run, finishing 0.060 seconds behind Marquez, while Raul Fernandez was third with a 0.133-second gap. Martin recorded the eighth-best morning time at 0.267 seconds back, and Bagnaia ranked twelfth with a 0.993-second deficit. Both Ai Ogura and Viñales missed the day entirely due to absence. The riders who missed the top ten cut will contest Saturday morning's Q1 session to battle for the two remaining spots in Q2.