Misano, Italy, September 11, 2026: The battle between Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez is already heating up at the San Marino Grand Prix, with Bezzecchi ending Friday’s Practice session fastest at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

The Aprilia Racing rider set a late flyer of 1 minute 30.144 seconds to finish just 0.103 seconds ahead of Marc Marquez of Ducati Lenovo Team. Alex Marquez of BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP completed the top three.

The result gives Bezzecchi the upper hand heading into Saturday, after Marc Marquez had topped the opening FP1 session earlier on Friday. The pair are once again producing a closely fought battle at Misano, having traded the spotlight at the Italian circuit last season.

Bezzecchi’s final lap also put him within striking distance of the outright lap record, setting the stage for another intense qualifying session and Sprint battle.

Marc Marquez takes charge before Bezzecchi responds

The Practice session initially appeared to be heading Marc Marquez’s way. With 15 minutes remaining, Pedro Acosta briefly moved to the top after setting consecutive fastest laps, before Marquez responded with a 1:30.247.

That lap put the Ducati rider just two tenths away from the outright lap record and gave him a provisional advantage in the closing stages.

Several riders then made significant improvements. Luca Marini moved into the top five for Honda HRC Castrol, while Enea Bastianini and Fermin Aldeguer also climbed the order.

Championship leader Jorge Martin, meanwhile, found himself outside the provisional Q2 positions with the clock running down. The Aprilia rider eventually produced a strong lap to move up to seventh before slipping back down the order.

Fabio Di Giannantonio was another late improver, moving into fourth and eventually finishing as the leading Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team rider.

Bezzecchi seals top spot at the flag

With the chequered flag approaching, Bezzecchi delivered his response.

The Aprilia rider posted a 1:30.144 to leapfrog Marc Marquez and take the top spot, finishing 0.103 seconds ahead of the Ducati Lenovo Team rider.

Alex Marquez completed the top three, while Di Giannantonio finished fourth ahead of teammate Franco Morbidelli.

Acosta was sixth and the leading KTM rider, followed by Marini, who was the fastest Honda representative. Johann Zarco finished eighth for Castrol Honda LCR, with Pol Espargaro ninth and Martin holding on to tenth.

The result means the top 10 riders secured provisional direct passage to Q2, while several big names were left facing Q1.

Bastianini and Fernandez face Q1

Enea Bastianini narrowly missed out on the top 10, finishing just 0.014 seconds outside the automatic Q2 positions. The Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider will therefore have to go through Q1 at his home Grand Prix.

Raul Fernandez was another surprise Q1 entrant despite showing strong pace earlier in the session.

The competitiveness of the field was highlighted by the fact that less than eight-tenths of a second separated the top 15 riders.

The biggest name among those heading into Q1, however, was Francesco Bagnaia.

The Ducati Lenovo Team rider endured a difficult Friday and could manage only 19th, leaving him facing another Q1 appearance. With the field so tightly packed, Bagnaia will need a significant improvement on Saturday to fight his way into Q2 and remain in contention for the front of the grid.

Top 10 – Misano MotoGP Practice

1. Marco Bezzecchi – Aprilia Racing – 1:30.144
2. Marc Marquez – Ducati Lenovo Team – +0.103s
3. Alex Marquez – BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP
4. Fabio Di Giannantonio – Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team
5. Franco Morbidelli – Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team
6. Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
7. Luca Marini – Honda HRC Castrol
8. Johann Zarco – Castrol Honda LCR
9. Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Tech3
10. Jorge Martin – Aprilia Racing

With Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez separated by just fractions of a second, Saturday’s qualifying and Sprint at Misano promise another closely fought chapter in the MotoGP season.