Misano Rider Ratings: Fabio Quartararo shines, but a 1/10 for struggling rival

Marc Marquez celebrated a second successive win in 2024 after dominating a chaotic MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix.

Waiting 1043 days for another win, the Gresini rider had to wait just five more for his next - ironically at the scene of his most recent victory prior to last weekend’s Aragon GP.

In a race affected by spits of rain, Jorge Martin made a huge tactical error that left him 15th and just seven points clear of Francesco Bagnaia in the standings.

After a dominant sprint win, Martin quickly undid what was shaping up to be one of his best weekends of the year.

Below are our rider ratings for the grid at the 2024 MotoGP San Marino GP.

Marc Marquez - 8

The Gresini rider brilliantly judged the tricky conditions in the early stages of Sunday’s San Marino GP to leap up from ninth to take the lead on lap eight of 27 with a brilliant pair of overtakes on Brad Binder and Bagnaia at Turns 14 and 15. 

From there, he controlled the race and beat Bagnaia by 3.1s. Arguably one of Marquez’s finest wins and an important one in the championship - with his deficit now just 53 points - he wasn’t fighting for victory on Sunday without the conditions. He “ruined” his weekend with a crash in Q2 that left him ninth, and difficulties advancing on this meant fifth was all he could manage in the sprint. But opportunity presented itself, and that’s ultimately what boosts his score.

Francesco Bagnaia - 8

For the second year in a row, Francesco Bagnaia took part in a San Marino GP below full fitness. The weekend started brilliantly, as he topped Friday practice despite some minor injuries from his Aragon GP crash, and then scorched to pole with a new lap record while title rival Martin could only manage fourth. 

But he fluffed his launch in the sprint and threw away what was likely to be a much-needed victory. He got a better start in the GP and survived the brief rainfall better than Martin did. That he lost out to Marquez was no shame given the conditions, and his intelligence to read the situation to leave Misano with a brace of seconds will do his title charge no harm.

Enea Bastianini - 7

The sister factory Ducati rider maintained his 100% Misano MotoGP podium record this year. But more was expected from Bastianini. Eighth in qualifying was disappointing and meant he missed out on a podium in the sprint. He did better in the grand prix, rising up to third and briefly putting the leaders under a bit of threat while not feeling too well. But Bastianini ended up a distant third, not helped by his alternate strategy to go with the soft rear, on a day where he could have done more to close his 62-point deficit to Martin.

Brad Binder - 7

The South African put the disappointment of missing Q2 on Friday behind him when he advanced from Q1 in qualifying to end up sixth on the grid. Seventh in the sprint was a bit underwhelming, but fourth was a strong result on Sunday given the struggles of the rest of the KTM stable at Misano.

Marco Bezzecchi - 5

After qualifying on the front row, Bezzecchi disappointed in both contests. A ride height device issue contributed to a poor first lap in the sprint, though the crash that ended his race was his own fault. 

In the grand prix he was in that lead group that closed up when the rain came and fifth was a good salvage job. But over 10 seconds from the podium is not good enough given how the form he showed prior to the races.

Alex Marquez - 5

There was just nothing particularly noteworthy about Alex Marquez’s weekend at Misano. Outqualifying his brother in seventh was the highlight having come through Q1. But no points in 10th in the sprint was disappointing and fading to sixth having been in fourth in the grand prix also underwhelmed - though, to his credit, he wasn’t feeling 100%.

Fabio Quartararo - 8

Yamaha tested at Misano a few weeks ago, but Quartararo doesn’t feel this had much of an impact on his weekend beyond having a good start to practice. 

A new chassis helped give Quartararo a bit of a boost, with the Frenchman making Q2 for the first time since Assen. Qualifying 10th, he was ninth in the sprint a strong seventh in the grand prix. Give team-mate Alex Rins’ performance all weekend, Quartararo was brilliant.

Jack Miller - 6

The KTM rider enjoyed one of his better weekends of the year, but was largely unremarkable by his standards. Qualifying 12th, Miller was eighth in both races. Despite putting up a fight early on, he faded in the latter stages of both contests.

Fabio Di Giannantonio - 4

Di Giannantonio is still gritting his teeth through a recent shoulder dislocation, which he admitted at Misano could easily reoccur if he crashes on it again. Qualifying 14th, the VR46 rider fell in the sprint and was a distant ninth in the grand prix. Given his condition, that’s not a bad effort, but it wasn’t as good as it could have been.

Pol Espargaro - 6

Pol Espargaro’s third wildcard appearance of the year at Misano didn’t quite live up to the hype of Dani Pedrosa’s last season. The Spaniard fought for a Q2 place but ultimately missed out in 15th. 

He made up one place in the sprint, while in the grand prix he managed a lonely 10th. Results mean little in the context of Espargaro’s job, though, as he put more miles on the lab bike the factory riders will try on Monday in the test.

Miguel Oliveira - 3

No Aprilia rider had a particularly good weekend at Misano as the RS-GP struggled massively - and unexpectedly - on the high-grip surface. Oliveira was the best of the bunch in the grand prix, finishing 11th for Trackhouse having come from a lowly 18th.

Johann Zarco - 4

Honda also tested recently at Misano but it offered little in the way of a boost for the San Marino GP weekend. Zarco was consistently its top performer. Qualifying 16th, Zarco was 13th in the sprint and 12th in the grand prix - more importantly, he was eight seconds up the road from the next-best RC213V.

Takaaki Nakagami - 2

Without HRC test rider Stefan Bradl, Nakagami would have been last on the grid. He rose to 13th in the grand prix, but his chances of points were boosted by others badly judging the conditions. There’s only so much you can do on a Honda, but Nakagami should be doing better.

Stefan Bradl - 3

Much of what was said about Nakagami benefiting from others’ misfortune applies to HRC test rider Stefan Bradl. But his job wasn’t to do much more than put miles on the RC213V ahead of the test. The fact he was only seven seconds behind Nakagami in the grand prix deserves some credit.

Jorge Martin - 4

The Pramac rider looked strong in Friday practice and threatened to battle for victory in both races. A blip in qualifying mattered little in the sprint when he vaulted from fourth to first at the first corner. His sprint victory over Bagnaia was a statement ride and one that swelled his championship lead to 26 points. 

A similarly good start in the GP saw him second at Turn 4, but a major gaffe in pitting too early for his wet bike undid his Sunday. He only just fended off Maverick Vinales for 15th. Now seven points ahead of Bagnaia, Martin has squandered a big opportunity.

Maverick Vinales - 4

After a nightmare Aragon GP, much more was expected of Aprilia at Misano. Getting into Q2 directly made him the only Aprilia in the pole shootout session. But he could do no more than 11th and didn’t score in either race. His gamble on wets made sense at the time, given little was on offer for Aprilia, but clearly Aprilia is lost.

Pedro Acosta - 4

The Tech3 rookie looked strong after Friday’s practice and had pace to battle with the Ducatis under normal conditions. But issues with his KTM meant sixth from fifth on the grid in the sprint was the best for his weekend. 

Fighting for the podium early on in the GP, Acosta suffered aero damage in a touch with Morbidelli. That ultimately led to him running wide at Turn 13 and crashing on lap four. He remounted to finish 17th after two trips through the pits. The speed was there, but the luck wasn’t.

Raul Fernandez - 2

All Aprilias struggled at Misano, but Fernandez was completely anonymous. Qualifying last of the RS-GPs in 19th, he was last of the stable in 17th in the sprint and was last again in 18th in the GP. He also pitted for a wet bike with nothing to lose, but this was a weekend to forget for Fernandez.

Alex Rins - 2

Given what his team-mate achieved on the M1, Rins’ performance at Misano was massively disappointing. While having solid pace, his poor qualifying spot of 20th meant he got mired in traffic and could do no overtaking in the sprint. Finishing 19th on Saturday, he ended up in the same position in Sunday after also pitting for wets.

Aleix Espargaro - 3

As mentioned, all weekend was difficult for the Aprilia contingent. Espargaro missed Q2 narrowly and had to start 13th, which conditioned his races. He was 13th in the sprint and then retired from the GP after his decision to pit for a wet tyre didn’t work.

Augusto Fernandez - 1

Fernandez’s year has regularly seen him last of the KTM stable. Qualifying 16th, the Spaniard couldn’t do much to trouble the points in both races. He was 16th in the sprint and didn’t make the finish in the grand prix.

Franco Morbidelli - 6

The Pramac rider had one of his best weekends of the year on the Ducati and looked like a genuine frontrunner for the first time in years. Getting his first front row since Spain 2021, he converted that to a first podium of any kind since then in third after fending off Bastianini. 

He was in the podium fight early in the GP and was even pressuring team-mate Martin before crashing out on lap seven. It was an easy mistake to make when conditions were at their worst and loses him a point in our ratings. But he can take heart from his weekend as a whole.