Mugello woke up with a clear message: Marco Bezzecchi is ready. In the MotoGP warm up, the final session before the Italian Grand Prix, the Aprilia rider set the fastest time with a 1:45.374, confirming his strong feeling with the RS-GP on the Tuscan circuit.
It was a short session, only ten minutes long, but still useful to understand the balance of power ahead of the race. Bezzecchi, already one of the main protagonists of the weekend after taking pole position, produced a clean and convincing lap to finish ahead of Fermin Aldeguer, second with the Gresini Ducati in 1:45.425.
Third place went to Marc Marquez, who continued to show encouraging signs with Ducati. The Spanish rider stopped the clock at 1:45.530, staying close to the front runners and proving he could be a factor in the battle for the podium.
Just behind him, Francesco Bagnaia finished fourth with a 1:45.576. For Pecco, it was a positive warm up, especially useful to work on race pace and tyre management on a circuit where consistency could be just as important as outright speed. Pedro Acosta completed the top five with KTM, once again showing his ability to fight with the leading riders.
Joan Mir also impressed with the sixth-fastest time for Honda, ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio, Jorge Martin, Alex Rins and Diogo Moreira, who completed the top ten. Raul Fernandez, winner of Saturday’s Sprint, ended the session only 14th, but warm up times can often be misleading, as many riders focus more on race setup than pure performance.
The main storyline, however, remains Aprilia. After a strong qualifying session and Raul Fernandez’s Sprint victory, the Noale manufacturer arrives at the main race full of confidence. Bezzecchi will start from pole position and has a real chance to turn his warm up pace into a major result in front of the Italian fans.
Ducati, however, is still very much in the game. Marc Marquez, Aldeguer, Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio all showed solid pace in the morning session, and Mugello, with its long straight and fast corners, can still change the story of the day.
The warm up does not award points, but it often reveals the mood of the riders. And Bezzecchi’s message was clear: in front of the Italian crowd, he wants to fight for victory.
G.A.
