By Donovan Fourie | Guest Contributor | MotoGP Analyst
Misano was an interesting weekend
Race overview
Misano was an interesting weekend. “Interesting” is an interesting word. It inspires a mixed reaction, whereby people want to know what the interesting thing is, but know full well that it’s not necessarily good. It’s also one of the few words that can describe itself, as we have done in the second sentence of this story.
Pre-race prediction vs reality
Let’s start upfront – I predicted, in the pre-race blog, that Marquez could easily win this weekend. He’s riding a Ducati in Ducati’s home round. The track is a grippy one, so setup and chassis performance would be crucial, and Marquez seems to have those.
Sprint race shock & track grip
And yet, it wasn’t terribly easy for him.
Marquez ended his long string of Sprint Race wins by crashing, leaving the win to local boy, Marco Bezzecchi, on the Aprilia. Grippy surfaces mean better lean angles, more speed and harder riding, but grippy surfaces tend to grip hard right up until the grip ends, in which case it goes off a cliff.
On less grippy tracks, the bike will give clues when it reaches the limit. The rider will feel the tyres moving sometime before they let go. The very good riders are able to ride far into the warning zone without crossing the threshold. Grippy tracks give no such courtesy – the rider will lean, lean, lean and then suddenly find themselves on the floor.
Bezzecchi’s performance & the Main Race
Bezzecchi was, of course, thrilled with the home win, even if it was only a Sprint Race; however, it seemed that Marquez had an upper hand in the pace department for the Main Race. Which is why it was surprising when Bezzecchi pushed Marquez right until the last lap.
We can wax lyrical about Marquez’s talent, but everyone already knows that. What made Bezzecchi’s performance interesting was that he was on an Aprilia. The Ducati of Marquez has some doubts about its performance, especially when you see the performance of Pecco Bagnaia, who has been struggling. Digi is the other rider aboard the 2025 Ducati, and he has mostly been struggling to beat his teammate, Frankie Morbidelli, on the 2024 Ducati. Pecco crashed out of this race – and we shall discuss that shortly – so the only other finishing Ducati 2025 was Digi, who was in fifth and 11 seconds behind Marquez. That’s an impressive boast for Marquez.
Bezzecchi’s Aprilia, though, was 24 seconds ahead of the next Aprilia ridden by Raul Fernandez, who was 11th.
Marquez is riding well, of course, but please give a cursory salute to Bezzecchi, too.
Race of attrition
That was the first interesting detail; now we move on to the fact that only 15 of the 22 starters finished without incident. It was, for most of the field, a race of attrition.
Standout performances
Pedro Acosta put on a performance similar to Bezzecchi’s – he made his way up to fourth place, behind only the two Marquezes and Bezzecchi. This is all while the rest of the KTMs were out of the top ten. It was not to be, though.
Brad Binder finished the race as the top KTM in tenth. Well, we say “top KTM,” what we actually mean is that he was the only KTM to finish the race. The Austrian brand had a terrible weekend, and not just because of the pace. It started last weekend in Catalunya, when Binder’s first bike had a technical fault, which cost him a decent starting position.
Then, at Misano, during the vital part of Friday’s FP2 when riders are shooting for a spot in Q2 qualifying, Binder’s chain snapped, and any chances of a top ten place were off the table. Then, while fighting for another chance at Q2 in the Q1 session, his chain broke again. Let’s be clear about this – chains breaking is a rare occurrence. Anywhere. Twice in one weekend is unheard of.
Then, in the Sprint Race, Binder suffered another technical fault, the nature of which remains undisclosed. Three breakdowns in one weekend? Four over the two weekends? Some might suggest foul play against Binder.
Then, while Acosta was showing a warrior’s performance worthy of Achilles, his chain broke. The third broken chain for KTM that weekend. The fifth breakdown in two weekends. Something in the orange camp is amiss.
Pecco Bagnaia – struggles and causes
Pecco Bagnaia is having a terrible time. This is not new news – he’s been struggling all year. The blame for his struggles has been attributed to a few things. For 2025, Ducati changed very little on its motorcycle apart from the front-end. It seems a small change but it has big ramifications. The front is the most difficult part of a motorcycle to control.
Marquez got on with it well enough, but Pecco is struggling. The two riders have different styles, and the new front-end is not only at odds with Pecco’s style but it contradicts his main strength – braking hard in a straight line.
Many also attributed his struggles to mental problems, and that’s fair. If you’re a two-time champion, struggling for a top ten will take its toll on your mental well-being. Although some have suggested that his struggles stem purely from Marquez’s arrival in the team. The understanding here is that there is nothing wrong with the bike, and Marquez’s mere presence was enough to break Pecco.
Sure, having a rider like Marquez in your house is intimidating, but is that enough to put off a seasoned MotoGP rider? Well, during the Misano race, Pecco was up to eighth, and looking relatively good compared to his previous struggles. Then, he fell off.
These are not the actions of a man struggling with confidence. People with a lack of confidence tend to be only slow. People who are struggling with the bike tend to fall off when they push hard, which is what Pecco was doing.
Italian manufacturers dominate
Misano was a good race for Italian manufacturers, particularly Ducati. Italian brands occupied the first six spots, with Ducati holding five of those. The first non-Italian brand home was Honda with another local boy, Luca Marini. Next was Fabio Quartararo on the Yamaha, who was nearly caught by Miguel Oliveira, who celebrated his first top ten on a Yamaha.
Final incidents & closing thought on grip
Bastianini, Rins, Bagnaia, Vinales, Ogura and Zarco all went horizontal during the race, ending the belief that grippy surfaces are safer. As we said, for top riders, grippy surfaces offer the challenge of having tons of grip until they suddenly don’t. And thus we have 32% of the field on the floor.
Grip is a challenge indeed.