MotoGP Mugello, FP1 standings: Di Giannantonio on top, Marquez cautious

First free practice session with Diggia leading ahead of two Aprilias: Marquez fifteenth, just behind Bezzecchi.

It rained overnight and in the early morning at the Mugello Circuit, so the riders found a track in different conditions than they had expected and slightly lower temperatures. MotoGP FP1 ended with the fastest time set by Fabio Di Giannantonio on the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Ducati Desmosedici GP26. The Barcelona race winner recorded a best lap of 1'46"242, putting 369 thousandths between himself and Jorge Martin’s Aprilia and 438 to Ai Ogura’s. Also in the top 5 were Maverick Vinales on the KTM and Jack Miller on the Yamaha.

Great anticipation to see Marc Marquez back in action, returning after operations on his right foot and right shoulder. The reigning MotoGP champion took a cautious approach and his condition was then rechecked by the doctors at the end of the first free practice session. He has been cleared to continue the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, though he obviously cannot be at 100% fitness.

Marquez finished with the fifteenth time, just behind Marco Bezzecchi, who in FP1 focused mainly on working with used tires. Worth noting, towards the end of the session Pecco Bagnaia ran wide at Turn 1 (San Donato) and got stuck in the gravel with his Ducati, which he had to leave there to return to the garage early.

In the afternoon at 3:00 PM, Practice will determine the ten riders who will go directly to Q2 in Saturday morning’s Qualifying.

Davide Tardozzi, Ducati Lenovo team manager, spoke to Sky Sport MotoGP about Marquez’s condition: "I think he’s shown he can ride. This morning he went out on track very calmly, he pushed sector by sector. He can do the weekend. He was conservative; he’s missing a bit of strength when pushing. Mentally he’s a bit reluctant to go beyond a certain limit, which is normal. Thinking that Marquez can fight for the win is a dream—right now it’s too soon."

He also commented on Pecco Bagnaia, who tried two different setups in FP1: "Pecco started very well, then he tried the second bike with a slightly different setup and he didn’t like it. They went back. Unfortunately, he ran wide at the first corner and that held him back."

Michele Masini, team manager of BK8 Gresini Racing, spoke to Sky Sport MotoGP about Alex Marquez’s condition after the heavy crash in the Barcelona race: "Alex is improving day by day; it’s important that there’s this progress in these two to three weeks of recovery. It was a frightening accident for everyone, especially for him, who then watched it back. He was very lucky. Now it’s important that he recovers 100%, then we’ll see when he can return."

In Catalonia there was a podium for Fermin Aldeguer, who is growing after a start to the season affected by a left femur injury: "We’re coming from a positive path with Fermin, the podium in Barcelona was the consecration of the work done from the Jerez test onwards. He likes Mugello; the goal this weekend is to be in the top 5."

Aprilia has announced a multi-year partnership with Monster Energy, which from this weekend at Mugello places its branding on the factory team’s RS-GP26s and will also become title sponsor from 2027. Paolo Bonora, race manager, spoke to Sky Sport about expectations for the Italian Grand Prix: "Historically we’ve never shone here, but this year the current bike is different and the riders are very motivated. In Barcelona we understood a lot in a difficult weekend. On Martin’s side we had the bike set up quite well for Sunday, while Bezzecchi had some difficulties. Here it’s a different story, with different grip. We need to set up the bike to be fast and reactive in the direction changes. Also pay attention to tire wear, because they get stressed and temperatures rise due to the fast corners."

Bonora explained a major difference between the Catalonia circuit and the Tuscan one: "Mugello changes a lot compared to Barcelona, where there’s the lowest grip in the championship. Here, instead, grip is very good and the setting is different, as is the approach to the weekend."