The 2026 San Marino Grand Prix is shaping up to be one of the closest MotoGP battles of the season, with Ducati and Aprilia separated by little at Misano after Friday’s practice.
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi set the pace in Practice 2 as he continued to impress following his return from injury. However, Ducati showed impressive strength in numbers, with four of its six riders finishing inside the top five.
Fermin Aldeguer could have added another Ducati to the leading group, but a mechanical problem disrupted his final time attack. That suggests the Bologna manufacturer may still have more performance to unlock heading into qualifying.
Aprilia, meanwhile, is already down to three riders after Ai Ogura was ruled out through injury. Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez finished 10th and 12th respectively, but both remained confident they could find more speed.
The tight battle at Misano is partly down to the circuit itself, which appears to play to the strengths of both manufacturers. Aprilia’s RS-GP has shown strong performance through the faster, flowing corners, while Ducati’s GP26 is particularly effective in the more stop-and-go sections.
Misano’s high-grip surface has also helped close the gaps between the bikes. With relatively low tyre degradation, riders can maintain strong grip over multiple flying laps, making it harder for any manufacturer to establish a clear advantageuto
Source: Auto Action
The narrow nature of the circuit adds another factor. With fewer opportunities to experiment with different racing lines, riders tend to follow similar approaches under braking, through the corners and on acceleration. That places even greater emphasis on rider performance.
Tyre choice was another key factor during Friday’s running. Alex Marquez and Bezzecchi were among those able to set competitive times on the medium rear tyre before the field tightened once the softer compound was introduced.
Alex Marquez initially struggled to extract the best performance from the soft rear, but eventually found his rhythm on his final run and moved himself into the fight for pole position. How quickly riders can adapt to the different compounds could become crucial over the rest of the weekend.
The competitiveness was also reflected by riders outside the usual front-running group. Luca Marini and Pol Espargaro both secured direct places in Q2, showing how closely matched the field is around the Italian circuit.
With Ducati bringing strength in numbers and Bezzecchi leading Aprilia’s charge, Saturday’s qualifying session could provide the first real indication of which manufacturer has the upper hand.
As Marc Marquez put it, Misano is “one of the tracks where everything is more equal”. If Friday is anything to go by, the San Marino Grand Prix could deliver a genuine Ducati-Aprilia showdown with very little separating the two Italian manufacturers.
