Misano MotoGP Test
The official start of the Misano Test was at 0900 on Monday morning, but overnight rain left the track damp in places so there was nothing happening for the first hour.
Most riders were circulating by 1100 on a track that was not as fast as it was on the race weekend.
Many trialled a new prototype Michelin front, and most responded positively to the change that will come in 2025.
Riders also tested a new communications system that enables race control and potentially teams to converse with riders while they are out on track. Some loved it, Aleix Espargaro; some hated it, Pedro Acosta, but all who tried it said it had some way to go before it can be reliably heard when at full pace.
Only three riders were in the 1m30s, with Bagnaia on top with a 1m30.619 at the end of the day, ahead of Franco Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini.
For the reigning World Champion, the day’s program focused on testing several elements to improve the current setup and laying the groundwork for next year’s bike development with 51 laps completed.
Francesco Bagnaia
“It was a positive day that allowed us to focus on different aspects. We mainly worked on some electronics in preparation for next year and then focused on areas where we still need to improve the GP24, which was our base for the day. We also tried the new Michelin tyre, and I really liked it. Overall, I am satisfied. We definitely made a step forward, so I believe we’re on the right path.”
Bastianini, on the other hand, concentrated primarily on aerodynamic testing and worked with his team to improve certain aspects ahead of the upcoming Emilia-Romagna GP, also scheduled at the Misano circuit in two weeks. Both riders tested a new Michelin tyre, which gave overall positive feedback.
Enea Bastianini
“It was a positive test. In addition to trying some aerodynamic elements, we also worked on improving my feeling with the medium rear. Compared to the race weekend, I was able to feel comfortable right away, and this will be important ahead of the next race here in Misano. We also tested a new Michelin tyre; at first, it felt a bit strange, but after a few laps, I got used to it and set good times. Overall, I am happy and ready for the next Grand Prix at my home track.”
Pedro Acosta was the fastest rider astride Austrian machinery and fourth overall ahead of Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.
There were few changes to see at Pramac, but Morbidelli completed over 40 laps in the afternoon session, taking a late second place. Meanwhile, Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) ended the day in P6.
There weren’t many new parts to see for Marco Bezzecchi, but he also had a solid day of running – placing eighth. The Italian was the sole Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team machine on track after Fabio Di Giannantonio decided to focus on his left shoulder recovery.
Marco Bezzecchi
“A very positive day, I’m happy to have been able to make the most of the last testing session of the season. On the eve of the last final rush, with so many races together, it was important to have a day where we could set ourselves as best as possible with settings and electronics, especially in the critical points. I’m happy, I also made several starts and I was able to try the new tire. I only did eight laps with this front compound, we had a slot of only 30 minutes for this type of test, but I have to say that there are some interesting aspects perhaps to try in a real race or in a battle. Now a few days of reset and then on track for the second Misano, I can’t wait.”
Over at Gresini Racing MotoGP, work continued for San Marino GP winner Marc Marquez, who claimed seventh, with Alex Marquez finished the day 12th after a small crash.
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3
After his dramatic San Marino race on Sunday, rookie Pedro Acosta did his homework on Monday, completing a total of 77 laps across the day. A busy testing schedule awaited next season’s Red Bull KTM Factory rider, with a new engine, a seat unity prototype and some aero parts to try out.
Acosta finally made his first laps just before 1100 with the track deemed ready for the work the young Spaniard completed 29 laps before the lunch break. In the afternoon, the rookie completed another 48 laps, with his fastest lap a 1’31.052, placing him 4th overall on the time-sheets. Acosta reported many positives from the day to bring to the remainder of the season to give the rookie that extra push, and some key data for engineers to prepare for next season.
Pedro Acosta
“I am very pleased with our test, we tried many things that will help us for the next rounds this season, so let’s see if we are able to get some updates soon. It is true that we tested a lot for next season, but I also needed to improve some areas, including electronic combinations, that will help me for the rest of the season. I had three bikes in the box today, so there was a lot going on, and it was the first time that I was seeing this! We tried a new front tyre too for the first time, it is difficult to give an opinion, we need a bit more laps with it.”
Augusto Fernandez’ testing program was spread just across the morning. The track conditions reduced his track time, but he joined the party at similar times to team-mate Acosta. The goal of the morning was to try some parts at the rear suspension to answer some question marks from the manufacturer to enhance the bike’s overall performance.
Augusto Fernandez
“The plan for us was to test just this morning, and it was a shame that the track was not ready at 9:00 as it was drying from the overnight rain, so we weren’t able to do the whole plan. We had just one bike, so we spent a lot of time in the garage, but when we were on track, we got the answers we wanted on the items tested. We found some directions to take for the next races, so I am looking forward to coming back here for Misano 2. Positive test overall from our end.”
Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 Manager
“The last test of the season is always very intense and key to prepare for the following season, so we knew that a busy day awaited us. Pedro Acosta rode 77 laps, which is a lot after back-to-back rounds, but he did the job that we needed him to do, so we want to thank him. He tested different seat units, a new engine and finally some aero parts for which we needed crucial feedback. Most of the things tried today were positive, with a possibility for us to use them this season. Augusto Fernandez just rode in the morning, while our mechanics welcomed Jack Miller in the afternoon. Augusto had a clear program, focused on the rear suspension part of the bike, and Jack on the aero package, so we now have a lot of information that we need to put together in order to get a clear direction for the rest of the season.”
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
Fabio Quartararo was able to complete his testing programme at Misano on Monday. The Frenchman rode 38 laps in the morning session and 35 laps in the afternoon, confirming the new chassis and trying a 2025 prototype engine as well as some new settings. His fastest time was set at the end of his last run on lap 34, a 1m31.063s placing him fifth on the time-sheets, four-tenths from the top.
Fabio Quartararo
“We tried a few things. We had the chassis to try, and it was a small step in the right direction. Today, we also tried a few set-ups that we never tried before as well as a prototype new engine for 2025 – just the first step – and some electronics. It was quite good. I think we have found a good way to proceed with this new chassis. Hopefully we can make another step in terms of grip and the engine before the end of the season so we can always fight for better positions.”
Rins was keen to spend the available track time of the Misano Test to try the prototype 2025 engine again which he had already used once before at the Aragon GP. The Spaniard was positively surprised by the difference it made. He also confirmed that the chassis used in the San Marino GP was a step in the right direction. He rode 35 laps in the morning and 31 laps in afternoon, collecting a lot of data, and finished 16th on the time-sheet.
Alex Rins
“We’ve tried many things: some settings on the chassis, and the base of the 2025 engine. It was quite good. We started using the engine that we tried at the MotorLand Aragón. I didn’t use it in the San Marino GP. Using only this updated engine again today, I improved my lap time. Lap by lap, I was getting used to the bike, testing some settings, and it was good: positive.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“After heavy rain during the night, the track conditions were not as good as yesterday, but we are quite pleased with the feedback we got from the riders. Fabio and Álex seem to agree that the new chassis, which they already tried last weekend, is a step in the right direction. On top of this, we tried some settings, electronics, and the base of the 2025 engine, the prototype. We will analyse the data carefully. Some of it will already be useful for the next race weekend, other data will be crucial for 2025 bike development.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing used every possible minute of the final one-day MotoGP test this season to evaluate parts and ideas for both the current KTM RC16 and to confirm directions for the 2025 model.
Sebastian Risse – Red Bull KTM Technical Manager MotoGP
“We had a slow start because of the overnight rain so the track had to dry and then get ‘cleaned’ by the bikes. We were very eager to work in all areas of the bike and in three stages. We have Dani here to work on concepts and things for the mid-term. For the short term we have Jack working on things we can still use this year: updates and set-up. A mix. Then with Brad the primary target was to confirm things we are looking at for next season. We’ve made good progress with some aspects that we’ll look at further. This is the last checkpoint before the official start of next season in Valencia. We didn’t have a target here to put everything together, it was more about confirming single items and then using Valencia for that purpose.”
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had an experimental machine to try today, which we have previously seen in the hands of San Marino GP wildcard Pol Espargaro. The ‘new’ bike has a different engine, different aero and exhaust, and the South African eventually ended the test in 11th.
Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“Brad ran a different configuration: a 2024 version with some development and then a potential new version of the bike. It’s been an intense and important test and a bit risky to squeeze everything into one day because there is not a lot of time for each bike or each run. Dani has an evolution of the current bike, mainly for this season and Jack has focused on back-checking aerodynamics and set-up. A lot of riders, a lot of bikes and it will be critical to understand as much as we can and to make our decisions for the coming weeks as well as the future.”
Brad Binder – P10
“Today has been pretty interesting. The track was sketchy at first and really dirty. I did a few laps on the new bike and it felt quite different. The character took some time to get used to but all OK. The bike is very calm. We’ll know more after some testing runs but I like the direction.”
Test rider Daniel Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took over Miller’s side of the garage as he returned to action and finished 13th.
Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) only took part in the afternoon session, ending the Test in 15th after putting in 19 laps.
Jack Miller – P15
“Not a bad day. Just one session today. I got to try the new Michelin front tyre and had a good feeling with that. We tried a fairing and not too much else. We have another Grand Prix coming up very soon so not long before more laps at Misano.”
Aprilia Racing & Trackhouse
It was a busy down at Aprilia, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and team-mate Aleix Espargaro spending the day trying to find improvements with their set-up and ergonomics. Viñales also said a key focus was improving in braking. Vinales took ninth, despite a tumble, as Espargaro placed 14th. Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing) was also out on track, working towards the development of the 2025 package.
For Raul Fernandez, a full program of aerodynamic options were tried on his #25 RS-GP bike, including some hybrid set-ups combining his current specification 2024 Aprilia and the earlier aerodynamic package he raced through the first part of the season. Multiple set-up changes were made through the day, looking for optimum balance and feedback through the corners and in the braking zones. Beyond the team run plan, Raul alsotried the new Michelin tyre options and a practice start session. In total, Raul completed 105 laps and finished with progress made in a number of performance areas of the bike, all of which will be studied to find an optimum direction with the Aprilia RS-GP24 ahead of the next race, back at the Misano track in a little over one week’s time.
Raul Fernandez
“We had a good day. We understood many things and now we need to analyse the situation that we are in, especially after the last two races, in which we haven’t been very competitive. We now need to understand what we worked through today for the future. We are not just working for the rest of this year, but also for next year and I gave a lot of feedback to Aprilia. We see two different ways to come back again at the moment and I’m really happy to be able to have had this test here and to get some ideas. I’m very satisfied, also very pleased by Aprilia for all the work they are putting in to improve the bike. Overall, it was a really good test for us.”
Miguel ran 76 laps on his #88 RS-GP Trackhouse Aprilia. Primary focus was in the braking area and like his teammate, Raul, looking for balance and consistency. Some progress was made with the electronics to help improve the bike set-up and Miguel worked through both his start procedure and also completed some runs with new Michelin tyres.
Miguel Oliveira
“We had a slow start this morning because of the track conditions, but then we put in some work, gathered important data to especially understand the direction to take for the second round here. Not everything we tried was positive, but it gave us a clearer idea of the direction to follow. We tried a few things on the engine brake side, just a little touch on the electronics to help us to get more consistency. And that’s pretty much it. Of course, it’s not all smiles because we wanted to find more performance today and put everything together, but for sure we will be able to do it in the right moment, which is next weekend.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Trackhouse Team Manager
“A long day of testing is done here in Misano. The early morning was wet and as we already had a bit of a problem with the conditions in Mugello, we were very happy that the circumstances improved a lot and from mid-morning the track was actually quite nice. Raul did 98 laps and Miguel did 76. It was an important test for us to finalize where we are able to improve things. Clearly, we spotted some issues which we are able to fix for the next round, so we are happy with that. We will now keep working and try to improve our positions when we come back here.”
Repsol Honda
A lot of today’s attention was surrounding HRC, and Repsol Honda Team’s Joan Mir and Luca Marini returned to action after suffering from illnesses during the San Marino GP weekend. Mir had three bikes on his side of the garage, including one of wildcard Stefan Bradl’s, and was 22nd at the end of the day, finishing behind Marini in 21st. Bradl was also back out, working with one machine.
Luca Marini continued to suffer with fatigue and a lack of power, the Repsol Honda Team adapting his testing schedule to make the most of every lap. Focusing initially on new aerodynamic developments, Marini was able to complete 49 laps during the test and ended in 21st with a best time of 1’32.502. Despite his illness, the Italian worked diligently until the end of the day.
Luca Marini
“It was really important to get back on the bike today so we could try some things for the engineers. Honestly, I didn’t feel great today and we had to limit our plan a little bit. In the morning we did most of our work before wrapping up a couple of things in the afternoon. Even not feeling my best, we were able to feel the difference in what Honda brought here and I hope that my feedback can help them with the direction to go. I think we found some positives not just for the future, but also for the next few races.”
Venturing out just after 1000, Joan Mir completed his first laps of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli after being struck by illness from Wednesday evening. Completing 26 laps before the midday break, Mir was able to run through the majority of his testing plan. A total of 57 laps produced a best lap time of 1’32.587, placing him 22nd on the overall time-sheets.
Joan Mir
“I am feeling better today but still far from 100 per cent. Good enough to test which is like a win after the last few days. It has been an intense day trying a few things including aerodynamics and a few other pieces. We have found some good information, but we still need to keep working in order to find more for the future. Now it’s time to rest, recovery and let the engineers work.”
Castrol Honda
At LCR, Johann Zarco trialled a new side fairing, using it first during the morning session. He was positive overall about the direction he reported they’d found too, in some contrast to comments from Mir.
Johann Zarco
“Today, we’ve done many laps, which have been useful in understanding what this bike could be. I’ve felt good about the new aero package, and I’ve also gotten a positive feeling about the new Michelin tyre. Overall, it’s been a positive day, with significant improvements. However, we are still struggling with the acceleration, an area we need to focus on for further improvement”.
Idemitsu Honda
Takaaki Nakagami was also spotted with some new carbon-fibre on Monday.
Takaaki Nakagami
“It’s been an interesting test. I like the new aero package; the feeling is positive, although I need to adapt my riding style; let’s say it’s a compromise. We’ve followed our testing plan and noticed some improvements on the bike, as in the entry of the corners, and at the same time, we still need to work on others, such as the braking”.
MotoGP will be back in action at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli from 20-22 September for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Misano MotoGP Test Times
| Pos | Rider | Nat. | Bike | Gap |
| 1 | F. Bagnaia | ITA | DUCATI | 1’30.619 |
| 2 | F. Morbidelli | ITA | DUCATI | +0.161 |
| 3 | E. Bastianini | ITA | DUCATI | +0.366 |
| 4 | P. Acosta | SPA | KTM | +0.433 |
| 5 | F. Quartararo | FRA | YAMAHA | +0.444 |
| 6 | J. Martin | SPA | DUCATI | +0.492 |
| 7 | M. Marquez | SPA | DUCATI | +0.511 |
| 8 | M. Bezzecchi | ITA | DUCATI | +0.514 |
| 9 | M. Viñales | SPA | APRILIA | +0.625 |
| 10 | B. Binder | RSA | KTM | +0.683 |
| 11 | R. Fernandez | SPA | APRILIA | +0.786 |
| 12 | A. Marquez | SPA | DUCATI | +0.836 |
| 13 | D. Pedrosa | SPA | KTM | +0.920 |
| 14 | A. Espargaro | SPA | APRILIA | +1.064 |
| 15 | J. Miller | AUS | KTM | +1.221 |
| 16 | A. Rins | SPA | YAMAHA | +1.332 |
| 17 | M. Oliveira | POR | APRILIA | +1.354 |
| 18 | J. Zarco | FRA | HONDA | +1.360 |
| 19 | T. Nakagami | JPN | HONDA | +1.686 |
| 20 | A. Fernandez | SPA | KTM | +1.873 |
| 21 | L. Marini | ITA | HONDA | +1.883 |
| 22 | J. Mir | SPA | HONDA | +1.968 |
| 23 | L. Savadori | ITA | APRILIA | +2.693 |
| 24 | S. Bradl | GER | HONDA | +3.971 |
| – | F. Di Giannanto | ITA | DUCATI | – |
