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Ducati test rider Michele Pirro led Free Practice 1 at the San Marino Grand Prix as MotoGP championship leader Francesco Bagnaia returned after his huge crash in Barcelona.
Bagnaia suffered a massive highside on the first lap at Catalunya just five days earlier and was hit by KTM’s Brad Binder, who ran over the Italian’s legs after having no chance of taking evasive action.
The race was red-flagged and Bagnaia was taken to hospital, but the Lenovo Ducati rider remarkably escaped without any fractures and was passed fit to compete this weekend at Round 12.
However, team-mate Enea Bastianini is ruled out after sustaining hand and ankle fractures in a multi-rider pile-up moments before Bagnaia’s crash, which the Italian sparked after running into the first corner too hot on the brakes.
Bagnaia ended the opening 45-minute session at Misano in 20th position, just under seven tenths down on pace-setter Pirro.
The 26-year-old had been as high as seventh on the timesheets inside the final 10 minutes before dropping further down the order.
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez was a lowly 21st as speculation over his future continues to make headlines at Misano this weekend.
Marquez could be set to make a sensational move away from the Japanese manufacturer in 2024, with reports from several sources claiming the 30-year-old is poised to join his brother Alex at Gresini Racing on a Ducati.
Luca Marini was second fastest on the VR46 Ducati, 0.115s adrift of Pirro. The Italian has been confirmed for next season in Valentino Rossi’s team alongside Marco Bezzecchi, who turned down the chance of riding a factory Desmosedici GP24 next year at Pramac.
Marini, who achieved his best MotoGP result at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas in April – finishing second – is currently competing in his third season in the premier class.
Jorge Martin was third quickest on the Pramac Ducati in a solid start to the weekend after the Spaniard capitalised on Bagnaia’s absence in the Catalan Grand Prix to close the deficit in the standings to 50 points, finishing on the podium in third.
Bezzecchi was fourth ahead of Raul Fernandez (RNF Aprilia), while KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa slotted into six, three tenths off top spot.
Pedrosa, competing in his third Grand Prix this season as a wildcard, recently penned a new deal with the Austrian manufacturer to continue as a test rider in 2024.
A three-time runner-up in the MotoGP World Championship, winning 31 races – all with Honda – the 37-year-old has played a major role in the development of the RC16.
Pedrosa retired from racing full-time at the end of 2018 and joined KTM’s testing ranks the following year. He is debuting a new carbon fibre chassis for the first time at Misano.
Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales, who claimed the runner-up spot behind team-mate Aleix Espargaro in a first-ever one-two finish for the Italian marque last weekend at Catalunya, was seventh ahead of Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco.
Espargaro and Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez rounded out the top 10, four tenths behind Pirro.
South African Binder was 11th on the Red Bull KTM with team-mate Jack Miller in 14th.
Factory Yamaha riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo were 12th and 15th respectively.
Test rider Stefan Bradl was the leading Honda rider on the LCR machine in 16th.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) was 19th, Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) 23rd and HRC test rider Takumi Takahashi 24th.
