Gloves off, visors down: MotoGP arrives in Misano

The battle lines are drawn as the world’s most exciting sport arrives on turf poised to serve up a storm.

Hallowed ground. Home turf. Enemy territory. All are true at once for the MotoGP™ grid at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, with the stage set for an intriguing showdown this weekend in the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) heads behind enemy lines with an advantage of 23 points atop the standings, holding off home hero Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The incentive to defeat the reigning Champion on his own turf, and for his own Italian team, will be matched only by the determination of the #1 to stop him doing just that. Especially as Bagnaia looks to bounce back – something he’s seemingly magically able to do when he most needs to.

Meanwhile, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was back on the top step in Aragon, 1043 days after winning his last Grand Prix. And that just happened to be the Emilia-Romagna GP at Misano in 2021. He is the rider with most wins across all at Misano, and he’d love to add another. His incentives likewise set up a showdown to remember: enemy territory. Future teammate territory. And current team home turf…

The rider with the next most podiums and an exemplary record at Misano, meanwhile, is another home hero: Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Beast’s nightmare Practice and Q1 left him with work to do in Aragon but he did it, slicing up the order as ever to get back to the front and only cede third place overall by just a single point. It may not have been the weekend he’d expected, given the 2022 Aragon GP, but it was far from a disaster by conclusion. Misano is likely to see Bastianini gunning for glory once again.

The home heroes don’t stop there. Last year Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) took two podiums and he’ll hope some home magic will be added to the mix too in a tougher season. Teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio just had the edge still before a tyre pressure penalty in Aragon, however, and with another few days to get back to better strength he’ll be one to watch on his and the team’s home turf. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) continues an impressive trajectory of progress over recent rounds too, with Misano another chance to put it all together and try to attack for the podium.

Attacking for that podium was exactly what Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was doing for much of the Aragon GP, before both he and Bagnaia ended up tangled in the gravel. Opinion columns aside, each got to make their case and the result of the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards investigation was: no further action. We can likely expect more action of a different kind as the #73 takes on the home round for Gresini and Ducati in front of what could prove a partisan crowd more partial to the Pecco Bagnaia side of the argument, but there are plenty of races in even recent memory where the incentive to prove a point has been a powerful one.

Aprilia, meanwhile, have plenty of home glory on the line for their machine and factory, and after a tougher Aragon GP, they’ll want to bounce back quickly. On Day 1 all four RS-GPs were in the top ten: Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) on Marquez’ tail, and Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez flying the flag for Trackhouse. But come Saturday it got tougher, and they’ll want a lot more from Misano. Viñales has a standout record at the track too…

Then comes KTM and GASGAS. Back nearer the front at Aragon with two podiums for Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) hot on his heels after his own good form in Austria, there were plenty of positives and Misano has hosted some for the marque before. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is having an up and down ride with some impressive speed and then bad luck or trouble at times so will be looking for a smoother weekend, and Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) had some positives from MotorLand too. Misano awaits with another chance to reset – and another wildcard for Pol Espargaro with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

Stefan Bradl will also be on track for the HRC Test Team, and for Honda, there was a first of 2024 at MotorLand as Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) moved directly through to Q2, showing some impressive speed all weekend despite unfortunately crashing out on Saturday. Still, that’s a good tick in one box as the Japanese marque look to move forward, and Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) will be especially keen to do so this weekend on home turf. Teammate Joan Mir had the upper hand at MotorLand on his. But of all, it was Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) who actually took Honda’s best Sunday result so far this season, coming home in P11 when all penalties were said and done. As his future as development rider is confirmed, his value seemed underlined once more.

Yamaha, meanwhile, have recently done their own private test at Misano so it will be interesting to see where they pick up as we return to race. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) put in a more than solid Saturday at MotorLand to battle Bagnaia and take Sprint points, but a crash out on Sunday leaves a little what could have been behind. What was, for teammate Alex Rins, was a top ten though – a good result even if now leaving the factory to focus on cutting down the time deficit. What will be at Misano? It’s traditionally a strong track for the Yamaha.

The Championship remains close but there’s ever more pressure pouring into the duel at the top, with the momentum suddenly back in Martin’s corner. But a Bagnaia needing a result is a Bagnaia to underestimate at your peril, and Marc Marquez has now been back on the top step. And all the while, Bastianini looks through his trophy cabinet, drives down the road to his local racetrack, and looks to steal the spotlight and chip away at that gap to the top…

Who’s taking the spoils? Join us this weekend for the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini to find out:

SHOWTIME
Saturday
Tissot Sprint: 15:00 (UTC +2)
Sunday
Grand Prix: 14:00 (UTC +2)

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