Marco Bezzecchi issues a challenge to Marc Marquez: "I can improve"
Marco Bezzecchi closes Friday’s Misano as Marc Marquez’s first chaser, a role that has become rather frequent lately (due to Pecco Bagnaia’s atavistic difficulties in 2025, but also Alex Marquez’s recent problems). However, the Aprilia’s Rimini rider is very determined to continue to do well in a round of the championship that for him could not be more homely, after all, the full name is Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. And the 147 thousandths of delay remedied in the first practice session could represent just the’beginning.
“I am happy with this first day – cheered Bezzecchi when the engines were now off -. I managed to go well with the soft rear in the morning and with the medium in the afternoon. So far so good, although we can improve further and to do that we have to work again”.
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For the rest, there’s one aspect that Bezzecchi pointed out that worries him: “From day one to day two, Ducati always manages to improve a little bit more than we do. So we have to work hard to do the same. Already today’s times are unbelievable, because going 1:31 in Misano means going really fast. However, I aim to get to 30.6, although I don”t know if that will be possible. I hope so”.
“Misano is a track that has great grip, an aspect that makes the times even closer than they usually are. So mistakes and inaccuracies are even worse, and working well on the medium tire becomes crucial. I want to continue to do this tomorrow, but since the consumption is relatively low you can run the race with both tires. You can decide based on your feeling, which I will do tomorrow”, Bezzecchi anticipated.
The concerns of the Riminese find confirmation in the words of Marc Marquez, who despite the best time does not trust the Italian competition. “I have the feeling that all the Italians started the weekend in good shape, right from FP1”, admitted the Catalan, who had to struggle against an initially stiff Desmosedici before finding the ideal setup. The world leader stressed that the characteristics of Misano, with its high grip and dry braking, require a different approach than other tracks on the calendar.
In the decisive pre-qualifying for direct access to Q2, Marc Marquez took the lead with a time of 1’30″480, but behind him lined up a veritable platoon of Italians. In addition to Bezzecchi second, Franco Morbidelli also confirmed the’excellent form by finishing third at 193 thousandths, while Pecco Bagnaia has finally shown signs of recovery placing fourth at 230 thousandths from the leader. An important result for the Turin Ducati rider, who had not been on the podium since Sachsenring two months ago and had experienced a complicated start to the weekend with the’eleventh place in the morning free practice.
The day in Misano had opened with an encouraging sign for the Italian colors, with Franco Morbidelli who had dominated the morning free practice stopping the clock on 1’31″342. The Italian-Brazilian rider of the VR46 Racing Team had preceded Fabio Quartararo and Fabio Di Giannantonio, while Bezzecchi had placed eighth, already showing that he wanted to find a good feeling with his Aprilia. A start that then culminated in the afternoon pre-qualifying.
