Marc Marquez wasted no time asserting his dominance in the opening practice session of the San Marino MotoGP 2026. On a dry Misano track, the Spaniard set the benchmark with a lap of 1:31.468, beating Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia and Trackhouse Racing's Raul Fernandez.
Fresh from his double victory at Aragon, Marquez carried that momentum to a circuit where he has historically excelled—Misano, his most successful clockwise track with six career wins. The early pace suggested he picked up right where he left off.
Aprilia showed strong form in the early stages, with Bezzecchi delighting the home crowd. But Ducati, through Marquez, responded emphatically. Meanwhile, his teammate Francesco Bagnaia endured a disappointing session, finishing down in 18th.
Behind Marquez, Bezzecchi held on to second, while Fernandez impressed in third. Alex Marquez took fourth, and Johann Zarco continued his comeback with a solid fifth place in just his second weekend back since his horrific Barcelona crash.
Pedro Acosta recovered from an early fall at Turn 1 to finish sixth, ahead of Luca Marini, who had briefly run third. Championship leader Jorge Martin ended up eighth, with Fabio Quartararo and Fabio Di Giannantonio completing the top ten, all within half a second.
Test and replacement rider Pol Espargaro placed his Tech3 KTM 11th, followed by Fermin Aldeguer, Franco Morbidelli, Toprak Razgatlıoglu, and local hero Enea Bastianini. The session was punctuated by early incidents: Jack Miller went down at Turn 4, and Acosta followed suit minutes later. Miller was able to rejoin but finished 17th.
With this performance, Marquez sends a clear message that he is the man to beat this weekend. The battle with Aprilia and the rest of the Ducati contingent is expected to intensify in qualifying.
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Marc Marquez leads FP1 at Misano MotoGP 2026, beating Marco Bezzecchi by 0.060s. Jorge Martin 8th, Bagnaia struggles in 18th.
Marc Marquez leads FP1 at the 2026 San Marino MotoGP in Misano, beating Marco Bezzecchi by 0.060s. Full results and analysis.
Marc Marquez tops Misano MotoGP FP1 with a 1'31.468s, just 0.060s ahead of Marco Bezzecchi. Full results and analysis.
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