Factory KTM rider Pedro Acosta led the way in the final in-season test of 2025 at Misano, as Yamaha extensively trialled its new V4-powered MotoGP bike.
Acosta was among the first riders to hit the track, grabbing the top spot from the Tech3-run RC16 of Enea Bastianini with a time of 1m32.297s.
Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia all enjoyed stints at the front in the next two hours, before Marco Bezzecchi moved the goalposts by setting the first sub-1m31s lap of the day – a 1m30.779s.
Bezzecchi found another half a tenth as the final hour of the morning session began, but with just 10 minutes left to run, Gresini’s Alex Marquez edged him out with a 1m30.714s.
The younger Marquez’s time remained unbeaten until an hour into the second session, when Acosta chipped off another three-and-a-half tenths to return to the top.
There were no further improvements at the front of the timesheets, leaving Acosta’s 1m30.374s as the fastest lap when the chequered flag fell at 6pm local time.
His lap was ultimately three tenths slower than Bezzecchi’s 1m30.134s pole effort in the San Marino Grand Prix, but a tenth quicker than his own qualifying time on Saturday.
Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Roberto Tommasini / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Alex Marquez also held on to second position, while Bezecchi’s lap from the morning session was good enough for third at the end.
One rider who did jump up the order in the afternoon was Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez, who posted a time of 1m30.761s in the penultimate hour to grab fourth place.
Fernandez narrowly beat the VR46 Ducati of Franco Morbidelli in fifth, while Sunday winner Marc Marquez wound up sixth on the factory Ducati, half a second off Acosta’s pace.
Seventh place went to Fabio di Giannantonio on the other V46 Ducati, while Bagnaia enjoyed a more fruitful showing after a nightmare weekend in Misano, finishing eight-quickest despite a late crash at Turn 1.
Reigning champion Jorge Martin also enjoyed a solid day on the Aprilia, completing 34 laps of the track and finishing ninth quickest with a best time of 1m30.945s. The top 10 was rounded out by Fermin Aldeguer on the Gresini Ducati.
Honda’s charge was led by its factory rider Luca Marini, who eventually ended 0.609s down on Acosta in 11th.
Much of the day’s focus was on Yamaha, as it brought two V4-powered M1s to the test that were raced in the San Marino GP over the weekend. Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins and Jack Miller all got to sample the bike, with only outgoing Pramac rider Miguel Oliveira not being given the opportunity to try the V4.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha V4
Photo by: Matteo Nugness
Oliveira ended up being the fastest Yamaha on the timesheets in 16th place, but his V4-equipped stablemates occupied the next three spots on the timesheets, with Rins finishing ahead of Quartararo and Miller.
Quartararo made no secret of his frustration with the new M1, saying it felt “worse” than its predecessor and warning that a switch to a V4 engine won’t solve all of Yamaha’s problems.
However, Miller was much more positive in his assessment, saying the new M1 is “doing all the right things” and has “more strengths than weaknesses”.
Honda also brought several updates, particularly improved aero, while in-form factory rider Marini also trialled a new chassis.
Aprilia carried out work it wouldn’t have been able to fit into a regular race weekend, focusing on electronics, set-up, and evaluating new parts.
Bezzecchi ran a chassis which Aprilia had already tested, but wanted to try again to see how it behaves now that the rest of the bike has evolved so much. Meanwhile, Martin continued his adaptation to the RS-GP, even trying different handlebar positions in what he described as his first real test with Aprilia after an injury-hit pre-season.
KTM had a new exhaust and swingarm to test, while it also tried new aerodynamic configurations, including a bike without rear winglets.
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Ducati was the most discreet about its testing plans, with general manager Gigi Dall’Igna only saying that it is “not going to pull a rabbit out of a hat in one day of testing”.
However, factory rider Marquez revealed that he tried different swing arms and compared the aero package used in the early part of the season with the one he has raced in recent rounds.
Two riders sat out Monday’s test to recover from accidents they suffered in the San Marino Grand Prix. Joan Mir, who had already skipped qualifying and the sprint race due to neck pain, didn’t participate in the test to “focus on his recovery”, according to Honda. Trackhouse Racing’s Ai Ogura was also absent after a high-speed crash on Sunday left him with bruising and inflammation in his right hand.
Three manufacturers also ran their test riders to Misano, with Dani Pedrosa on duty for KTM, Michele Pirro working for Ducati and Takaaki Nakagami getting mileage at Honda. Despite racing in the San Marino GP, Augusto Fernandez sat out the test to give Yamaha’s factory riders the maximum time to test its two V4-powered bikes.
Additional reporting by Vincent Lalanne-Sicaud
In this article
Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics
Read the full article here