MISANO – A day at Misano Adriatico split equally between Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Márquez, but the points went to the Catalan. The Saturday before the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix saw a great pole position for the home rider, who was resolute aboard his Aprilia. A particularly uneventful Sprint Race, however, saw the number 93 Ducati take the lead, with its owner getting a perfect start and a decisive overtake right on the first corner, but above all, making the right tire choice. Jorge Martin finished third, but it can't be said that he limited the damage: for the championship leader, it was more like mission accomplished, as he had already stated on Thursday.
The big issue at the Misano Sprint Race even before the start is tires. Many of the top riders opt for the soft rear, as demonstrated extensively throughout the weekend. Among them is Bezzecchi, already assured of pole position and eager to break his taboo of short races. Both Marquez and Martin instead run the medium rear, and Ducati's choice is particularly surprising: Marc had run all Friday sessions on the soft. But the champion from Cervera once again proves he's right: at the start, he burns Bez, forces the brakes as he did at Aragon, but possibly even cleaner, and takes a lead that won't let go. The Rimini native tries to stay on his heels, closing within half a second of him in the final five laps, but his rival accelerates again and the game is over. The only other real battle decides third place, and it comes to an end when Martin overtakes Di Giannantonio on the seventh lap. The Spaniard thus maintains a 14-point lead in the standings over Marquez and 22 over Bezzecchi: given the conditions, it was difficult to hope for anything better.
With the engines off, Marquez then confirmed his successful race strategy. "From the start, the goal was to get ahead of Bez, because I had the medium and he had the soft," said the Ducati rider. "The final laps were a bit dangerous; I tried to push and then took a breather after gaining some space. In the final laps, I saw that the pace was there and I tried to manage the gap and the risks. It went well." Beaten but not defeated, Bezzecchi himself: "I'm very satisfied; I finally managed to do better than third in the Sprint. This was a great day for me, and the team's work was excellent. We're ready for tomorrow." Martin also smiled at the finish line: "The race was quite difficult, but we're improving. It was a bit difficult for me to find the right spot to attack Di Giannantonio; I didn't want to take too many risks. So I'm satisfied with the work both Aprilia and I did. Let's hope we can improve a little more tomorrow." And we'll also see if the San Marino Grand Prix itself will provide a bit more competitiveness, after the prevailing diplomacy that characterized Saturday at Misano.
