Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global

Australian MotoGP: Marquez fastest, big names dumped into Q1

Marc Marquez topped a wet/dry third practice session at Phillip Island, while Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Maverick Vinales all missed out on an automatic Q2 berth.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Jack Miller, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS
Jack Miller, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS
Maverick Viñales, Team Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP
Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing
Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing

World Champion Marquez wasted little time getting down to business, making sure of a Q2 spot early by braining the whole field on intermediates with a 1m33.304s just 10 minutes in.

While the track continued to dry, a lot of the field switching to slicks, it still took forever for anybody to knock Marquez off top spot. It eventually happened 38 minutes in, another period of reasonably dry running allowing hometown hero Jack Miller to charge to the top with a 1m33.280s on slicks, before immediately lowering the benchmark to a 1m33.209s.

But Marquez, back out with an inter on the front and a slick on the back, responded with a 1m33.155s right on the 40-minute mark, at which point the rain returned and the order was effectively frozen.

That was good news for the likes of Miller, who comfortably booked a Q2 spot with that low 1m33s, and both Aleix and Pol Espargaro, who were third and fourth despite being more than a second slower than Marquez and Miller.

Andrea Dovizioso and Scott Redding also booked Q2 spots during the best of the conditions mid-session, as did Stefan Bradl (seventh) Nicky Hayden (eighth), Danilo Petrucci (ninth), and Hector Barbera (10th).

But the changeable conditions also caught a few big names out. Maverick Vinales will have to go through Q1, having missed the cutoff by just 0.064s. It got worse for the Suzuki rider as well; while trying to look at the big screen on his way back into the pits, Vinales ran onto the grass at pit entry and suffered an embarrassing low-speed fall.

Rossi will also have to come through Q1, having popped his head into the Top 10 on the 40 minute mark with a 1m35.463s, before being shuffled back to 12th right before the rain struck.

Still, he fared significantly better than teammate Lorenzo, who never seemed to get his head around the conditions and finished the session dead last. 

It's the first time that Rossi and Lorenzo, as factory Yamaha teammates, have both had to come through Q1.

PosRiderBikeTimeGap
1   Marc Marquez  Honda 1'33.155  
2   Jack Miller  Honda 1'33.209 0.054
3   Aleix Espargaro  Suzuki 1'34.399 1.244
4   Pol Espargaro  Yamaha 1'34.650 1.495
5   Andrea Dovizioso  Ducati 1'34.721 1.566
6   Scott Redding  Ducati 1'34.852 1.697
7   Stefan Bradl  Aprilia 1'34.914 1.759
8   Nicky Hayden  Honda 1'35.189 2.034
9   Danilo Petrucci  Ducati 1'35.269 2.114
10   Hector Barbera  Ducati 1'35.300 2.145
11   Maverick Viñales  Suzuki 1'35.364 2.209
12   Valentino Rossi  Yamaha 1'35.463 2.308
13   Eugene Laverty  Ducati 1'35.736 2.581
14   Alvaro Bautista  Aprilia 1'36.029 2.874
15   Cal Crutchlow  Honda 1'36.189 3.034
16   Bradley Smith  Yamaha 1'36.351 3.196
17   Yonny Hernandez  Ducati 1'36.447 3.292
18   Mike Jones  Ducati 1'36.756 3.601
19   Loris Baz  Ducati 1'37.193 4.038
20   Tito Rabat  Honda 1'38.012 4.857
21   Jorge Lorenzo  Yamaha 1'38.318 5.163

 

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Crutchlow says Michelin supersoft wet tyre “a waste of time”
Next article Australian MotoGP: Marquez takes pole, Rossi slumps to 15th

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global