What a weekend: MotoGP, sunshine, stunning battles, history and epic racing – all taking place on the Adriatic Coast! Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) made further history after charging to victory on Sunday, with the #93 now sitting tied at the top of the Championship. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed the podium, whilst Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) finished down in P5. Want to know more? Catch up on the biggest stories, moments and talking points from the San Marino GP!
"I was calm and managed the risk"
Marc Marquez is on a roll, isn’t he? The #93 stormed to victory on Sunday afternoon, continuing his record-breaking run, now overcoming the largest point deficit in history. Marc Marquez started the weekend strong, finishing Friday in P2 before placing himself on the front row of the grid on Saturday morning. An incredible win in the Tissot Sprint followed, teeing up a fascinating Sunday, which ultimately saw the Ducati star clinching glory.
Marc Marquez: "Perfect. Of course, it was a really good weekend as I was fast, but I also managed the timings and the effort in the correct way. That was crucial for today. It’s true that Marco’s mistake helped a lot, and the race was different because I believe that he was riding in a very good way. On the first lap, he was already flying. We just did our maximum. It’s true that the attack from Jorge was a surprise because I didn’t expect it. But then I was calm and managed the risk."
"We can't go back in time"
It wasn’t the end to the weekend that either Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) or the Noale factory wanted. Scoring zero points on Sunday following a crash at Turn 13. The Italian was having an encouraging weekend, starting pole position before grabbing nine points on Saturday following his P2 Sprint finish. After his crash, Bezzecchi heads back to the drawing board, looking to reset before Austria.
Bezzecchi: "Unfortunately, everything was going well, but I made a mistake in Turn 13, and I lost the front.
"When you have a full fuel tank, you have to manage the braking a little bit. I had some shaking in the fast parts, so when I braked, I didn't close the line perfectly, and unfortunately, I lost the front.
"It's tough. But in the end, we can't go back in time. So we will work hard. Fortunately, we have Austria very soon. So we will go home, try to reset, and try to work in the gym, and go to Spielberg."
"I was completely out of control"
Jorge Martin entered the weekend with a 19-point buffer over Marc Marquez in the title fight, but leaving Misano the #89 now sits tied with the #93. Discussing his weekend and Grand Prix, the 2024 World Champion admitted that he was facing arm pump issues, describing the outcome of Sunday as "a pity".
Martin: "I had big issues with arm pump. It's a pity; I think we lost a big opportunity today. I was feeling really good. I started in a great way. I thought Marc was going to pull away, but then I was catching him again, and then I went into the lead. So after that, I was even pulling away. I was feeling good, not pushing like crazy and still pulling away. But then I started to have issues with braking, then opening the throttle, and every lap it got worse and worse. In the end, I couldn't do anything; I was completely out of control on the bike."
"Unexpected podium for us"
Alex Marquez was back on top form at Misano, finishing as runner-up on Sunday – just 0.657s adrift of glory – after starting P9 on the grid. The #73 walks away from the weekend with a total of 25 points scored thanks to his P5 in the Sprint and P2 on Sunday. Alex Marquez and Gresini sported a special livery too, paying tribute to Marco Simoncelli, and only adding to the emotional end to Sunday.
Alex Marquez: "It’s a huge honour to be on the podium – first of all, to wear these colours, but especially to be on the podium for Simoncelli. It will be my last GP with Gresini in Italy, so it has that emotional point also. I just tried to give it my hundred percent.
"I was trying just to be really consistent. I tried to manage it in the best way. I’m really happy. It’s an unexpected podium for us, especially P2."
"We battled with Ducati and Aprilia"
Pedro Acosta at his finest. The #37 stood on the podium for the second Grand Prix in a row on Sunday afternoon, grabbing P3 following an incredible weekend. Acosta wasn’t afraid to get his elbows out, either, fighting with Alex Marquez in the early laps before ultimately making his decisive podium move on Martin. Although it was another podium, Acosta and KTM had to work hard to find a comfortable setting at Misano.
Acosta: "It’s not normal that I struggled this much; I was struggling this weekend at the braking points. But anyway, we turned it around this weekend. We did a good job last night. For this, we have to be happy. At the end of the day, we battled with Ducati and Aprilia. For this, we have to be happy."
"We need to work with what we have"
It was a weekend to forget for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), with the Italian leaving Misano with no points scored. A Q1 exit forced Bagnaia to start from P14 on the grid, and after ending the Sprint in P13, things went from bad to worse as the #63 crashed out on Sunday. A Turn 2 mistake ended his weekend, with focus turning to Austria.
Bagnaia: "I was trying. I had a better start compared to Saturday, and I was trying to follow Diggia after Frankie had the Long Lap to serve. I tried to follow him, but as soon as I tried to carry a bit more speed at Turn 2, I lost the front again. Unluckily, another crash and another bad weekend, but the situation is like this, and we need to work with what we have."