Marco Bezzecchi kicked off MotoGP race day at Misano 2026 with a promising signal. The Aprilia rider set the fastest time in the warm-up session, beating Marc Marquez by 0.376 seconds. Bezzecchi, who starts from pole, proved his pace is competitive for the Grand Prix.
Interestingly, Bezzecchi changed his setup for warm-up. After using a soft rear in the Sprint, he switched to medium, just like Marquez and Jorge Martin did on Saturday. The decision seemed to pay off, as he immediately felt comfortable on the RS-GP26 and clocked 1m30.835s.
Meanwhile, championship leader Martin had a tough session. The reigning champion could only manage 20th, 1.478s behind Bezzecchi. In yesterday's Sprint, Martin finished third from fifth on the grid. Now, he must work extra hard to bounce back in the main race.
Behind the top two, surprise came from Diogo Moreira. The Honda LCR rider took third, just 0.413s slower than Bezzecchi. Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini) and Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) completed the top five. Meanwhile, Pedro Acosta lost half the session as mechanics fixed his front brake cover.
Clear weather at Misano meant all riders except Jack Miller opted for the medium rear. Marc Marquez was one of the few to fit the soft front. This combination might be key to his performance, though not enough to challenge Bezzecchi.
Notably, Aprilia and Gresini are running special white liveries for Sunday's Grand Prix. Aprilia's design is inspired by Gilles Villeneuve's white racing suit that won the 1981 Monaco F1 GP, featuring the Piaggio Vespa logo on its sleeve. Gresini, meanwhile, sports a replica of Marco Simoncelli's Honda livery from 2010-2011. These historical touches add to the excitement of the race.
With this result, the battle for the race heats up. Bezzecchi and Marquez have led every session except Q1, while Martin needs to find his rhythm quickly to avoid losing valuable points. The Misano MotoGP 2026 race promises a fierce duel through the San Marino corners.
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