P1racenews AI automatic summary:
VR46 Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli led the opening premier-class practice session at Misano – but all eyes were on the new Yamaha V4 bike making its MotoGP race weekend debut
During the opening premier-class practice session at Misano, VR46 Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli led the way, while attention was drawn to the debut of the new Yamaha V4 bike in the MotoGP race weekend.
Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez swiftly showcased promising pace with the prototype bike, remaining less than a second off the lead after his initial run – positioning himself well amongst Yamaha’s non-Fabio Quartararo full-time riders.
However, Fernandez encountered an unspecified technical problem early into the second run, forcing him off track and back to the pit garage to switch to the spare V4 bike.
Despite the setback, Fernandez managed to improve his time slightly, finishing 21st overall, just 1.195 seconds behind Morbidelli who set the fastest lap of the session.
Morbidelli had a tumultuous morning, receiving a 10-minute suspension at the start, then achieving the top spot with a remarkable 1m31.342s lap time, only to crash out in the closing moments at Tramonto.
Ultimately, Quartararo on the standard inline-four-engined Yamaha claimed second place, trailing Morbidelli by a quarter of a second, disrupting a potential Ducati dominance in the top positions.
