FP2, Misano: Close three-way battle with champion Marc Marquez in the lead

Was it Friday or Saturday? The conditions at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli seemed almost identical. After rain during the night, the Moto3 youngsters had practised under a clear sky but on a wet track. The Moto2 riders found an initial dry line and, towards the end of FP2, got down to business on slicks.

For the MotoGP stars, the conditions were anything but easy. When the final 30-minute session in preparation for the qualifying sessions began shortly after 10, the Adria circuit was still dotted with damp patches. At the start of FP2, a few riders, including VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli, stayed in the pits for longer.

The state of the track was also reflected in the lap times, which were initially around four seconds slower than those in free practice. However, with 18 bikes on the track, conditions improved. After ten minutes, the gap had already been halved. At the top of the timesheets was Marco Bezzecchi, ahead of his team-mate Jorge Martin.

Local hero Luca Marini was also quick, sitting in 4th place, but the Honda rider overdid it and slid off the track at Turn 3. The uninjured Italian hurried back to the garage, partly to get the bike back in working order for the Q2 session.

As track conditions improved, Gresini rider Alex Marquez took the lead. With a time of 1:31.300, they had now reached the level seen in FP1. The second half of the session took place under ‘normal’ conditions, and the rest of the riders also gathered data using the medium-compound race tyres.

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Misano: Qualifying Moto3

MotoGP World Championship

12.09.2026 - 12:40

Marco Bezzecchi: Platz 3 im FP2

Foto: Gold and Goose

Towards the end, the field closed in again. Behind frontrunner Alex Márquez were now Jorge Martín ahead of Marc Márquez and the two Ducati GP26 riders, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Pecco Bagnaia. In the final sprint, it was Marco Bezzecchi who took the lead once more. Bezzecchi and Martin were separated by just 0.015 seconds in first and second place. Then, on the final lap, came the signal the Ducati team had been hoping for from the world champion: Marc Marquez edged past the Aprilia duo by a mere 0.007 seconds.

Toprak Razgatlioglu fared better under these conditions. The Superbike World Champion, who had finished last in qualifying on soft tyres, over two seconds behind Marco Bezzecchi, was now riding in the midfield. After 30 minutes, Razgatlioglu was listed in 19th place.

The KTM riders were unremarkable: their leading rider, Pedro Acosta, finished 10th, seven tenths behind. Pol Espargaro, who had stormed into Q2 on Friday as a substitute for Maverick Viñales, finished in 14th place.