Francesco Bagnaia continued to assert his dominance in MotoGP by setting the fastest time during Monday’s post-race test at Misano, leading a 1-2-3 for Ducati. The reigning world champion delivered an impressive performance on his factory Ducati, topping the eight-hour session with a lap of 1:30.619, just a few tenths off his qualifying time from the San Marino Grand Prix.
Bagnaia’s benchmark lap came in the final two hours of the test, cementing Ducati’s control at the top of the timesheets. Franco Morbidelli, riding for the Pramac satellite team, made a late push to second place, clocking a 1:30.780 and finishing just 0.161 seconds behind Bagnaia. This effort placed him ahead of Enea Bastianini, who had earlier broken into the 1:30s bracket after initially leading the session with a 1:31.116 before improving his pace further.
The test session got off to a sluggish start due to overnight rain that left the track damp. Riders remained in the garages for nearly 90 minutes before conditions improved enough for initial runs. KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa was the first to complete an installation lap, while Pedro Acosta of Tech3 was the first to post a timed lap aboard his GasGas-branded KTM RC16.
As the track dried, competitive times began to emerge near the third hour, with Acosta briefly leading the pack after setting a 1:31.369. Pramac’s Jorge Martin, currently leading the championship, responded with a 1:31.124 in the final hour of the morning stint, which served as the benchmark heading into the afternoon.
Bastianini soon bettered Martin’s effort and was the first rider to dip below the 1:31 mark, before Bagnaia raised the bar with his blistering 1:30.619. Although Morbidelli managed to come close, most of the field struggled to match those times, remaining above the 1:31 threshold.
In addition to chasing lap times, Ducati was also working on the development of its aerodynamics package. While official details remain under wraps, it’s understood that progress on the 2025-spec GP25 is already well underway, signaling the Italian manufacturer’s long-term development focus.
Among non-Ducati riders, Pedro Acosta impressed by finishing fourth overall and topping the charts for KTM/GasGas. His best lap of 1:31.052 left him 0.433 seconds behind Bagnaia but showed promising pace for the rookie in a mixed field.
Yamaha also brought several machines for testing, with Fabio Quartararo taking a prototype version of the YZR-M1 to fifth place. The 2021 world champion ended the day with a best time of 1:31.063, narrowly ahead of Martin.
Jorge Martin did make slight gains in the afternoon but ultimately had to settle for sixth place. He finished just 0.019 seconds ahead of Gresini’s Marc Marquez, who recently won the San Marino Grand Prix. Marquez had a cautious start to the test, heading out later than most and completing just 19 laps in the morning session. However, he added another 29 laps after lunch, making up for lost time.
While Ducati stole the spotlight with their clean sweep at the top, the Misano test provided valuable insight for other manufacturers and highlighted standout performances from riders like Acosta and Quartararo. As the MotoGP paddock now looks ahead to the remaining races of the season, Monday’s session offered a glimpse into what the future may hold for both established names and rising stars.
