MotoGP FP1 Misano: Marquez shines and Bezzecchi gives chase, red-hot Ducati–Aprilia duel

Final spark from Marc Marquez, who thus secures MotoGP FP1 at Misano ahead of Marco Bezzecchi. The Ducati–Aprilia duel is starting to heat up... Live report and standings.

Marc Marquez boasts six GP victories at Misano, and there’s been plenty of talk about the “one-and-a-half arm” he’s racing with, while Marco Bezzecchi only has the 2025 Sprint win... Even though they topped FP1 and were separated by just 60 thousandths, they aren’t the only protagonists at the start of this GP. Keep an eye on Johann Zarco and Alex Marquez, both rebounding from their respective injuries in Catalunya, plus Raul Fernandez, seeking redemption after last GP’s technical woes, and also Pedro Acosta, still chasing his first Sunday victory in MotoGP. Championship leader Jorge Martin is only eighth, with Pecco Bagnaia way off... Here’s how the opening session of this second and final event on our peninsula went.

Announcements have been plentiful these past few days, right up to yesterday. Brad Binder, Franco Morbidelli, and Jack Miller (alas, immediately involved in a crash at Turn 4) will leave MotoGP and move to Superbike in 2027, while Alex Rins has turned down WorldSBK offers and announced his retirement from motorcycle racing; finally, Nicolò Bulega will arrive from the production-derived series. These are the latest official updates, along with the absence of Ai Ogura, still not recovered from his latest injury (test rider Savadori is in Barcelona for testing with the 850), Maverick Vinales once again replaced by Pol Espargaro, plus the battered arm of Marc Marquez and the social media photo that stirred plenty of chatter. On track, in addition to Miller, Pedro Acosta is also involved in an incident, in his case at Turn 1. Over the session we witness a sort of long-distance head-to-head between Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez, repeatedly swapping the top spot, until the very end when the reigning MotoGP champion lands his decisive blow and holds off the Aprilia rival by just 60 thousandths. A very tight classification—you have to drop to 19th place to find a gap over one second!