The competitive balance has swung back and forth a number of times this year, with both Ducati and Aprilia enjoying dominant weekends depending upon how well-suited their bikes were to each track’s layout.
However, while Ducati has occasionally prevailed on weekends when Aprilia appeared to have the faster package, the two manufacturers have rarely looked as closely matched as they did at Misano on Friday. Read Also:
MotoGP San Marino GP: Marco Bezzecchi pips Marquez brothers to top Practice Throughout the two practice sessions, edged ahead on the Ducati by 0.060s, before the Aprilia rider fought back in Practice to take the top spot by 0.103s.
Bezzecchi’s strong one-lap pace since his return from injury at Silverstone makes him an early favourite for pole position, but Ducati has strength in numbers. Four of the six Desmosedici riders finished inside the top five, right behind Bezzecchi, while withdrawing from Misano due to injury.
It should also be noted that Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez also have a lot of room for improvement, having lost time to their squadmates in sector 4 and sector 3 respectively.
| Sector | Pos | Rider | Time |
| 1 | M. BEZZECCHI | ||
| 2 | F. DI GIANNANTONIO | ||
| 3 | F. MORBIDELLI | ||
| 4 | L. MARINI | ||
| 5 | M. MARQUEZ | ||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | J. ZARCO | ||
| 2 | A. MARQUEZ | ||
| 3 | B. BINDER | ||
| 4 | M. BEZZECCHI | ||
| 5 | M. MARQUEZ | ||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | M. BEZZECCHI | ||
| 2 | R. FERNANDEZ | ||
| 3 | F. DI GIANNANTONIO | ||
| 4 | M. MARQUEZ | ||
| 5 | F. MORBIDELLI | ||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | M. MARQUEZ | ||
| 2 | F. DI GIANNANTONIO | ||
| 3 | A. MARQUEZ | ||
| 4 | J. MARTIN | ||
| 5 | M. BEZZECCHI |
Misano is also relatively narrow, leaving less room for riders to experiment with different lines. Most riders therefore end up braking, turning and accelerating in broadly the same places, further reducing the scope for one rider or bike to gain a significant advantage.
Finally, the low tyre degradation completes the picture, allowing riders to complete several flying laps without losing that edge grip.
As a result, much of Friday’s performance ultimately came down to how comfortable riders were on the soft and medium rear tyres. Some riders were already setting rapid laps on the medium rear, which explains why
These unusual circumstances could also explain why making it directly into Q2 also demonstrated how riders were able to make a difference at Misano.
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