Marc Marquez returned to first place in the 2025 San Marino MotoGP practice session held on Friday at Misano, reasserting his pace after a recent defeat last Sunday. The Ducati Lenovo rider led both on worn and fresh tires, finishing the afternoon session 0.147 seconds ahead of Marco Bezzecchi riding for Aprilia.
Franco Morbidelli, who topped the morning practice, improved to third place late in the day, while Marquez’s factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia briefly claimed the fastest lap before settling for fourth.
Top Ten Riders in Practice and Strategic Team Efforts
The top ten was completed by several notable names: Alex Marquez of Gresini Racing, Joan Mir from Honda, Luca Marini, Jorge Martin representing Aprilia, Pedro Acosta for KTM, and Fabio di Giannantonio riding for the VR46 team. Notably, Bezzecchi aided teammate Martin by towing him toward the end of the session, a tactic that helped the reigning world champion secure direct entry to Qualifying 2 despite difficulties in qualifying.
Morning Session Dynamics and Rider Performances
The initial free practice saw local favorite Franco Morbidelli leading despite missing the first ten minutes due to a penalty sustained at last weekend’s Catalunya round for not following marshal instructions. He oversaw a competitive session, eventually moving ahead of Alex Marquez, who had won in Barcelona recently.
Morbidelli’s VR46 teammate, Fabio di Giannantonio, held second place early on, with Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo splitting the two riders during his final lap. The Marquez brothers traded positions, with Alex just edging out older brother Marc for an early top-eight placement along with Honda’s Luca Marini, KTM’s Pedro Acosta, and Marco Bezzecchi.
Francesco Bagnaia was eleventh at this stage, not yet able to join the leading group.
Technical Challenges and New Machinery on Display
This weekend also marked the public debut of Yamaha’s new V4 MotoGP prototype, ridden by test rider Augusto Fernandez as a wild-card entrant. Fernandez experienced a technical issue during the first practice, finishing 21st and just over a second behind the front runners after switching to his backup bike.
Despite the setback, Fernandez kept pace with developments and maintained competitiveness compared to other riders on Yamaha’s Inline M1, finishing ahead of riders such as Alex Rins and Miguel Oliveira, and close to teammate Fabio Quartararo. The new prototype will continue to be tested by top riders including Quartararo, Alex Rins, and Jack Miller during the upcoming Misano post-race test.
Yellow flags affected the session’s closing moments after accidents involving Augusto Fernandez, Joan Mir, and Raul Fernandez, limiting opportunities for faster lap times.
Championship Implications and Upcoming Challenges
Marc Marquez is unable to secure the 2025 world championship title at the San Marino round, having seen his 15-race unbeaten streak broken by his brother Alex in Barcelona. Nonetheless, Marquez can still keep his championship hopes alive by scoring points at Misano, which would maintain his contention for the title at the next event in Motegi.
This practice performance demonstrates Marquez’s continued competitiveness despite recent challenges and highlights the intense rivalry unfolding across the premier class as teams and riders adapt to new machinery and strategies.
