Bezzecchi Unfazed by Aprilia Teammates' Misano Practice

Marco Bezzecchi says he was not concerned to see his Aprilia teammates struggle during Friday practice for the San Marino MotoGP at Misano. The Italian rider set a time just 0.006 seconds off the lap record, while factory teammate Jorge Martin only just scraped into the top ten and satellite rider Raul Fernandez failed to make the cut.

Bezzecchi's strong performance contrasted with much of the Ducati contingent, which placed four riders inside the top five. Despite the mixed fortunes within the Aprilia camp, Bezzecchi remained optimistic about Saturday's prospects. "It's only Friday, don't worry. You'll see that they'll all be there tomorrow," he told Motorsport.com. The rider said the team was focusing on its own work in the garage to find improvements.

Martin's Soft Tyre Struggle

Jorge Martin secured the final direct Q2 spot in tenth place, a significant 0.546 seconds behind Bezzecchi. He held the position by a mere 0.016 seconds, with Gresini Ducati rider Fermin Aldeguer just 0.042 seconds further back in 13th. Martin explained his difficulties stemmed from a recurring issue with the Michelin soft rear tyre during time attacks.

"In the morning, I felt really good with the medium tyre," Martin said. He had finished FP1 just 0.267 seconds off the pace. "I knew that in the afternoon, the feeling might change with the soft tyre... I felt even worse than I expected." The Spaniard described these problems as persistent since the start of the season, putting him at a disadvantage in qualifying simulations compared to rivals. Despite this, Martin believes his race pace is competitive and that he has more potential to unlock at Misano than he showed at the previous Aragon round.

Fernandez Takes Responsibility for Q2 Miss

Trackhouse Racing's Raul Fernandez finished Friday in 12th position, 0.572 seconds off the leading pace. After showing promise by finishing third in the morning's FP1 session, he slipped down the order during the decisive afternoon practice. Fernandez squarely blamed himself for the result.

"It is not the result that we expected, but it was my mistake today," Fernandez admitted. He said he was running inside the top six or seven for much of the session but made errors on his final push laps. The Spaniard also felt a setup change between sessions did not suit his riding style. He emphasized the tight competition at the circuit, where small margins separate many riders, and stated that improvement for Saturday was more about his own job than the bike's setup.

Friday Practice Results Summary

The opening day at Misano highlighted the performance gap within the Aprilia ranks and the strength of the Ducati bikes over a single lap.

Bezzecchi's near-record lap stood as the benchmark, while his teammates faced distinct challenges. Martin grappled with tyre feel and Fernandez with rider errors. The sole Ducati rider not to secure an automatic Q2 place through outright pace was reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia. With qualifying ahead, the Aprilia riders now focus on closing the gap that appeared on Friday.