Super-sub Michele Pirro used his intimate knowledge of the Misano World Circuit to start up top in first free practice for the 2023 San Marino MotoGP.

The Italian, who is deputising for Enea Bastianini on home soil this weekend, spent sporadic periods atop the timesheets over the course of the 45mins session, eventually emerging with a pace setting time of 1m 31.909secs.

The only rider to dip below 1m 32secs, Pirro led a Ducati 1-2-3-4 from Luca Marini - fresh from the news he has re-signed with Mooney VR46 Ducati for the 2024 MotoGP season, while Jorge Martin, who comes into the season 50 points adrift of Pecco Bagnaia in the overall standings, started his weekend strongly in third.

Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez completed the top five on their respective Mooney VR46 Racing Ducati and CryptoData RNF Racing Aprilia machines, followed by Dani Pedrosa riding a third KTM Factory Racing RC16 this weekend alongside Brad Binder and Jack Miller.

He held the internal bragging rights after FP1, the Spaniard - present in Misano primarily to participate in the post-weekend test on Monday - straight up to speed just +0.345s slower than Ducati test riding counterpart Pirro.

After their 1-2 success in Catalunya last weekend, Maverick Vinales - at the venue where he made his Aprilia debut in 2021 - was seventh quickest, while Johann Zarco sat in eighth, from Aleix Espargaro and Alex Marquez in ninth and tenth.

Back on his Ducati just days after his huge accident at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Pecco Bagnaia made a steady start to his weekend in 20th overall, just ahead of the struggling Marc Marquez.

San Marino MotoGP, Misano - Free Practice 1 Results