Francesco Bagnaia showcased his superiority during the MotoGP San Marino GP Practice. Racing on home turf, the 2022 and 2023 champion set the pace on Friday at Misano.
The initial phase of practice featured unrepresentative times, with Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) leading after the first laps, followed by Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati). Bagnaia (Ducati) soon claimed the top spot, while several riders had laps canceled for track limit violations.
Lap times continued to improve, and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GasGas Tech3/KTM) took the lead with his third lap, solidifying his position. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac/Ducati) also climbed the rankings at that stage.
Around the halfway point, the leaderboard shifted again. Márquez moved into the lead, Bagnaia placed second, and Acosta dropped to third. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) was fourth at the time, but Acosta soon dethroned Márquez.
In the final 15 minutes, more riders reached the top spots, including Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) and Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia). The lead changed three times within seconds, with Márquez eventually leading ahead of Acosta and Enea Bastianini (Ducati). Acosta, however, suffered a crash. Martín briefly took the lead before Bagnaia reclaimed it with a time 0.281s faster.
Bagnaia held onto first place until the end, while Márquez finished second, 0.185s behind. Martín placed third, and Morbidelli improved at the last moment to break into the top ten with a fourth-place finish. Bastianini took fifth.
Other riders who secured direct entry into the second phase of qualifying included Acosta (who crashed late on at turn 8), Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati), Maverick Viñales (Aprilia), Quartararo, and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM), who finished just 0.102s ahead of teammate Binder.
Timesheets:
✊ @PeccoBagnaia rebounds from last Sunday's crash
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 6, 2024
He tops Friday ahead of @marcmarquez93 and the @pramacracing duo ⚔️#SanMarinoGP 🇸🇲 pic.twitter.com/DoGRvpoB4U
