Gresini rider Alex Márquez (Ducati/3rd) is confident: “We’re closer here!”

During qualifying at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Friday afternoon, just before the end of the session, the Marquez brothers found themselves in a one-two lead – of all places – in Rossi country. However, this was then overtaken by VR46 protégé Marco Bezzecchi. “It was a good day; I felt great right from the start,” said Alex Marquez, who, like the entire Gresini team, will be racing in a retro design in honour of Marco Simoncelli on Grand Prix Sunday.

Marquez, who spoke very highly of the bike’s livery, knows: “Misano is a track where, in terms of riding style, you have to be a bit more persistent at the start. We also tried a few things out. On the medium tyres, for example, we had a good pace. On the soft tyres, however, the feel changed significantly. But on the second attempt, we managed to set a good time.”

Nevertheless, they’d tried out a few things beforehand: “We worked really well right from the start again. Then we focused on the details of the track. We tried a few things regarding the balance. This time, however, it went in the opposite direction. In that sense, it was a good test.” And the Spaniard also notes: “Here, you have to completely change the bike for the switch from medium to soft tyres; a few clicks on the suspension aren’t enough.”

The outlook is promising from the future KTM rider’s perspective: “As far as race pace is concerned, we’re closer to the mark here than we were in Aragon. Of course, the lap times have to be spot on, especially when you’re competing for the World Championship. We don’t have that pressure. We’ll obviously give it our all tomorrow.” Alex Márquez had recently made adjustments to his handlebar settings. “It’s working well, everything’s fine. I prefer it this way – I used to accidentally touch a button or lever with my glove sometimes. Now I can move about a bit more on the bike,” said “AM73” after Day 1 at Misano.

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09.10.2026 - 02:55