The first two free practice sessions at Misano tell the tale of an Aprilia that is approaching the thirteenth MotoGP Championship round on the right foot. In the morning FP1 session, Bradl was the best Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider with the twelfth best time at 1’34.126, just over six tenths (675 thousandths) behind the best time.

In the afternoon session, Stefan began with the same confidence, staying among the best until a crash in the initial phases of the session forced him to change bikes, slowing his pace and keeping him from improving on his time from the first session, which was well within his potential. This meant that his teammate Bautista was more in the limelight with a best time of 1’33.846, a clear improvement compared with FP1 (shaving off 65 tenths). The Spaniard finished the session in thirteenth place.