Light showers kept riders on their toes as they tried to book a place in Q2
The Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller has set the fastest lap of the weekend so far at the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini in an FP3 session which was energised by spots of rain. Riders ran on slick Michelin tyres throughout, Miller using his to set a lap time as quick as a 1:31.296, but it is a warning sign that qualifying this afternoon at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli could be very tricky indeed. It is an all-Ducati top three on the combined timesheet with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) second on a 1:31.367 and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) third on a the 1:31.517 which he set on Friday.
Bologna bullets continue to fire
As was the case on the opening day of the San Marino GP weekend, if you weren’t on a Ducati, you weren’t going fastest. Miller accumulated a total of 30 laps on used tyres as he gathered long run data before taking new soft Michelin slicks on the front and rear of his Desmosedici to lay down the 1:31.296 inside the final nine minutes of the session. Bagnaia lost a 1:31.515 moments later due to a breach of track limits, but still managed to move up to second place when he clocked a 1:31.371 and then a 1:31.367 in the final three minutes with a hard front and a soft rear on the #63 entry. He will need to keep up the pace in qualifying given the three-position grid penalty against his name.
Bastianini only went as quick as a 1:32.395 in FP3 but had his FP2 benchmark of 1:31.517 to fall back on in terms of getting into Q2. World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo was among those who was on a time attack when the rain briefly fell in Sector 4 with between 10 and 15 minutes remaining, but was also pushing the limits again in the dry. He eventually earned fourth on combined times with a 1:31.644 on his Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ entry, one position up on Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who set a 1:31.707. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was sixth for the three sessions overall with his FP2 time of 1:31.837.
High drama thanks to yellow flags
Aprilia Racing duo Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro got through to Q2 in seventh and eighth all-told on a 1:31.844 and a 1:31.929 respectively, while there was high drama in terms of deciding the final top 10. With the chequered flag out and riders having completed their final laps, Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) was 11th despite having an identical personal-best lap time to 10th-placed Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), but was then moved up when the latter lost his time because it was set with a yellow flag out. Then Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) was relegated to 15th when he suffered the same fate and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was into the top 10 – while Bezzecchi officially missed out by just 0.001 seconds!
It was a crash for Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) at Turn 3 which caused the yellow flag which cost the VR46 pilot, and the Japanese rider was far from alone in coming off his bike during FP3. Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) was first to hit the deck, at Turn 14, before a spill for Fabio Di Giannantinio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) at Turn 6, and a fast off for Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) at Turn 15. Ironically, Oliveira also took a tumble in the final three minutes before Nakagami’s crashed rescued his Q2 aspirations.
With changeable weather on the horizon, it is a potentially vital FP4 session this Saturday afternoon. Tune in from 13:30 (GMT +2)!
MotoGP™ Top 10: 1. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1:31.296 2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.071 3. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 0.221 4. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.348 5. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.411 6. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.541 7. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.548 8. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 0.633 9. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.641 10. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.659
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The lightweight class title contender sets the pace in the final session before qualifying
The Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team’s Izan Guevara has set the fastest lap of the weekend so far after three Free Practice sessions for the Moto3™ field at the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. The Spaniard clocked a 1:41.459 during his second run in FP3 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to put himself top of the pile, ahead of Friday pace-setter Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team). Among the others to already book their place in Q2 by finishing in the combined practice top 14 were World Championship leader Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and last-start winner Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max).
Foggia unable to improve but has plenty in reserve
Foggia was a full 0.382 seconds clear of the field at the end of FP2 although his relative lack of pace on Saturday morning at Misano was somewhat mystifying, with the Italian unable to go any quicker than a 1:42.141. Nepa had more than halved his margin over the field on combined terms before Guevara set a new benchmark for the weekend when he clocked that 1:41.459 while riding all on his own. They were the top three ahead of the final runs, and that would not change.
In fact, there was something of a standoff in pit lane among the big guns in the Moto3™ field, with the top eight on the timing screen not exiting the pit lane again until less than four minutes to go. Even then, about half the field was seen touring around the circuit at some point in the latter stages of the session.
It was only once the chequered flag came out that we saw some serious changes to the order. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who earned the ire of Sasaki earlier in the session when he was riding slowly through Turn 13, jumped from 16th to fourth with a 1:41.883. He was pipped almost immediately by none other than Sasaki, the Japanese rider clocking a 1:41.792 as they all came across the finish line in a bunch, meaning those two rounded out the top five.
Who else made Q2?
Rounding out the top 10 were Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), and Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing). Also straight into Q2 are Garcia, Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP), John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), and Diogo Moreira (MT Helmtes – MSI). Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) found himself 17th on the combined timesheet after a late crash at Turn 4 – rider okay.
The rain held off although it was gloomy skies over Misano for FP3. Will weather play a part in the battle for pole? Catch Q1 later on Saturday at 12:35 (GMT +2)!
The World Cup leader takes a crucial final pole position of the season while his title rival qualifies on Row 2
Dominique Aegerter has taken a big step towards the 2022 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup title by qualifying on pole position for both races in the sixth and final round of the season at the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. The Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™ rider lapped the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli as quickly as 1:43.174 in Q2, securing top spot by a margin of almost a quarter of a second. Perhaps more importantly, the only other rider left in contention for the Cup, the LCR E-Team’s Eric Granado, is set to start from Row 2 after qualifying fourth-fastest.
Aegerter takes a big step towards the Cup
The latter 10-minute stanza of qualifying saw Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) set the initial pace with a 1:43.652, but when Granado managed to post a lap time, he went fastest on a 1:43.451. The Brazilian did not hold onto top spot for long, however, with Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) clocking a 1:43.415 before Aegerter went just two thousandths of a second quicker again.
Casadei then looked like reclaiming the ascendancy, going fastest to the third sector only to lose the front and crash at the Carro corner (Turn 14). The incident triggered a yellow flag which meant Granado’s next lap would not count, although he was unlikely to improve that time around anyway.
With the chequered flag out, Granado went event quicker and while that did not matter so much, Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) subsequently managed to get himself onto the front row when he went to third on a 1:43.442. The head of the grid will therefore be Aegerter with Casadei and Torres alongside, while Granado heads up Row 2, where he will be joined by Ferrari in fifth and Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) in sixth.
How the rest of the grid looks
Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team), Alex Escrig (Tech3 E-Racing), Xavi Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), and Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) rounded out the top 10, the latter two having come from Q1. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) was second in that session when the chequered flag came out but would be bumped by Zannoni and will therefore start 11th, with Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE™) joining them on Row 4. Marc Alcoba (Zinia Aspar Team) is set to start from the back of the 18-bike grid after an early crash in Q1, pending the outcome of his visit to the medical centre.
With just two races to go in the 2022 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, Aegerter leads Granado by 17.5 points. Will the Swiss rider be able to push that margin past 25 in Race 1 of the Misano weekend and clinch the title with his first ‘match point’? You cannot afford to miss the opening encounter on Saturday afternoon from 16:25 (GMT +2)!
It’s an Italian 1-2 at the summit as Ducati lockout the top four positions on Friday at the San Marino GP
Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) set a 1:31.517 in MotoGP™ FP2 to end Day 1 at the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini as the fastest rider on track, with the Italian beating 2023 teammate Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) by 0.114s. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) made it a Desmosedici 1-2-3 on Friday afternoon, the top three split by 0.185s.
Ducati come to the fore in time attack mode
It wasn’t the start to the afternoon session that a pair of Ducatis would have been looking for though in FP2, as Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Bagnaia crashed unhurt in separate incidents – the latter, in addition, faces a three-place grid penalty after impeding Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) in FP1.
Elsewhere, Maverick Viñales and Aprilia Racing teammate Aleix Espargaro found themselves P1 and P2 heading into the final 20 minutes of FP2 as the RS-GP stars looked to be back in the groove following a tricky weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Viñales, at the summit, was nearly three tenths clear of the chasing pack after setting a 1:31.882.
Miller and FP1 pacesetter Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) then leapfrogged Aleix Espargaro to split the Aprilias with just under 15 minutes left on the clock, before the World Championship leader climbed to P1 by 0.004s. Then, it was time attack territory.
Just before the chequered flag waved, Bastianini, Bagnaia and Zarco went P1, P2 and P3 in quick succession, and Miller joined them at the sharp end of the timesheets by going P3. Viñales was trying to improve his time but the Spaniard couldn’t better his earlier pace, seeing Ducati lockout the top four positions.
The top 10 on Day 1
Again, Quartararo leads the non-Desmosedici charge in P5 ahead of Viñales and Aleix Espargaro, the trio are sat within half a second of Bastianini heading into Saturday’s action. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) were late improvers to pounce into the top 10, and with the weather looking uncertain, it could prove crucial in terms of automatic Q2 promotion.
Tune into MotoGP™ FP3 at 09:55 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday morning to see what the weather brings – and whether or not anyone can improve their Friday afternoon times in pursuit of a top 10.
Top 10 combined: 1. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – 1:31.517 2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.114 3. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.185 4. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.320 5. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.326 6. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.365 7. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 0.412 8. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.649 9. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 0.674 10. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.725
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The Italian crashed but ends Day 1 on top as Speed Up’s Lopez closes the gap to just 0.024s in FP2
Thanks to his 1:36.573 in Moto2™ FP1, Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) tops the standings on Friday at the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini despite a crash in the closing stages of FP2. Alonso Lopez (+Ego Speed Up) is just 0.024s in arrears of Vietti’s time and rounding out the top three is wildcard Mattia Pasini (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) – the Italian also crashed in the afternoon session.
Lopez closes the gap to Vietti
With 20 minutes to go, Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Lopez and Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) were the only riders who had improved their times inside the top 10, as the top five remained unchanged from FP1.
After finishing FP1 in P2, wildcard Pasini then had a small crash at Turn 4 with 15 minutes to go while still occupying second place, 0.095s off Vietti’s Friday morning pace. A few minutes later, the latter crashed unhurt at Turn 10 right in front of teammate Niccolo Antonelli, who did well to avoid both bike and rider.
Some improvements came in the final five minutes of the session, most notably Lopez moving up to P2 ahead of Pasini, with the top five covered by just 0.119s as Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) bettered their morning efforts.
The top 10 ahead of Saturday’s FP3
Fernandez ends Day 1 in P4 and is only 0.094s away from top spot, with Dixon P5 after his late time improvement. Sixth place Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) and seventh place Arenas both crashed unhurt while pushing for a better time, both the Spaniards are safely inside the provisional automatic Q2 places though, as are Chantra, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in P8, P9 and P10 respectively.
Tune into Moto2™ FP3 at 10:55 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday morning to see who will be heading straight into Q2.
Top 10 combined: 1. Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – 1:36.573 2. Alonso Lopez (+Ego Speed Up) + 0.024 3. Mattia Pasini (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.095 4. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.097 5. Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.119 6. Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) + 0.205 7. Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.229 8. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 0.275 9. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.355 10. Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) + 0.362
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After two positive tests aboard a Honda CBR600RR at the MotorLand Aragon circuit on August 31st and September 2nd, Marquez has gained valuable knowledge on the condition of his arm. With the information gained and satisfied with the progress of his right humerus, Marquez will now travel to the San Marino GP with the intention of testing his physical condition further on his Honda RC213V during the test.
Almost four tenths of a second separate ‘The Rocket’ from the rest of the Moto3™ field
Leopard Racing’s Dennis Foggia has marked himself as an early favourite in Moto3™ at the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini after prevailing by a margin of 0.382 seconds in FP2. ‘The Rocket’ lived up to his nickname by setting a 1:41.608 around the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli when no one else could go any better than a 1:41.990. That was Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max’s Ayumu Sasaki, the race winner a fortnight ago at the Red Bull Ring, while Tatsuki Suzuki was a full 0.546 seconds off the pace after the second Friday session on the other Leopard Racing Honda.
Foggia turns the pace up
Foggia had been the pace-setter by a smaller margin in FP1 on a 1:42.442 and he was first to improve that benchmark when he clocked back-to-back 1:42.361 and 1:42.323 with around a quarter of an hour to go in FP2. Suzuki soon made it a Leopard one-two when he set a 1:42.349, before Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) joined the top three on a 1:42.467.
With less than three minutes remaining before the chequered flag, Sasaki went quickest on a 1:41.990 and World Championship leader Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) jumped from 24th to second-fastest on a 1:42.158. However, Foggia hit back with his 1:41.608, following Suzuki across the stripe. Behind that top three of Foggia, Sasaki, and Suzuki is Garcia and another rider who was outside the top 14 Q2 cut-off for much of the session in John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), who lapped as quickly as a 1:42.278.
How the rest of the top 10 looks
Sixth and seventh went to MT Helmets – MSI team-mates Diogo Moreira and Ryusei Yamanaka, while Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) shook off pain from a highside in FP1 to claim eighth at 0.818 seconds off the pace. Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Öncü rounded out the top 10, with David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) last of those within one second of Foggia’s pace. The latter had regrouped from an early spill at Tramonto (Turn 10), while Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) also went down during the session.
The fight for Q2 places resumes on Saturday with FP3 from 09:00 (GMT +2) – tune in then!
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “The Global MotoGP™ Fan Survey, undertaken in partnership with Motorsport Network, has been true to its name with over 109,000 fans from 179 countries investing their time. We couldn’t be more proud of that response, nor of many of the answers they’ve given. We have a truly global and passionate fanbase. Put simply, we asked and our fans delivered.
After a briefing with the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards on Friday morning after MotoGP™ FP1, title-chasing Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini.
Close to the city of Rimini, the Misano Adriático circuit was constructed in 1972 and has since undergone an array of modifications. A regular scene for Italian Grands Prix throughout the 80s and early 90s, Misano returned to the MotoGP calendar in 2007. With updated facilities, track and grandstands, the Misano Adriatico holds a maximum capacity of 60,000 spectators. In accordance with MotoGP safety regulations, the 4.2km track runs clockwise for the World Championship races.
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