### “Bagnaia and Martin Set the Pace: Marquez Struggles to Keep Up in Emilia Romagna MotoGP Practice

Marc Marquez stated, "I feel quick and at ease. However, when I paused, I noticed that Bagnaia and Martin were exceptionally fast on the track today."

During Friday's practice session for the Emilia Romagna MotoGP, two riders managed to complete laps in under 1 minute and 31 seconds using medium tires that had already been used.

Regrettably for Marc Marquez, who won the San Marino race, he was not included among them.

Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin outperformed the Gresini rider in both race conditions and during time attacks with soft tires.

Bagnaia, who finished second in both 'Misano 1' races, set a new lap record to secure first place, with San Marino Sprint victor Martin trailing by 0.198 seconds.

Marquez secured the third position, trailing Bagnaia by only 0.299 seconds, with the most significant gap occurring on medium tires.

Bagnaia recorded a time of 1:30.902 on medium tires that had already been used for more than 11 laps. Martin posted a time of 1:30.844 on tires that had covered a comparable number of laps.

In the meantime, Marquez's top time on the medium tire was 1 minute 31.292 seconds, with his next best being 1 minute 31.490 seconds.

"We're among the top three, which is great news. I feel quick and at ease. However, when I halted, I noticed that two riders were exceptionally fast on the track today," Marquez shared with MotoGP.com. "Pecco and Martin were incredibly speedy."

The decision by Bagnaia and Martin was unexpected, especially considering Marquez had just set a new race lap record on medium tires two weeks earlier.

Marquez mentioned that although there are minor aspects he can work on, it's evident that this year there is a noticeable trend. He noted, "When the track offers better grip, they tend to be quicker than I am."

"The traction today was excellent, which was evident in the lap times. The cooler weather conditions provided better grip, but also made everything more precise. Initially, this made me feel slightly uneasy, but I managed to adjust effectively."

On Friday, the top-performing GP23 rider following Marquez was Marco Bezzecchi, who secured seventh position. Meanwhile, Marquez's sibling and teammate, Alex Marquez, finished in 14th place.

Similar to the first event at Misano, Michelin anticipates that riders will opt for the medium compound front tire and the soft rear tire for the Sprint race.

The medium rear tire will be used during Sunday’s full-length grand prix, provided the temperatures are not too low.

Marc Marquez's main goal for Saturday is to prevent another ninth-place start like he had at the San Marino race, where he fell during the qualifying session.

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