Misano MotoGP: Marquez heads Lorenzo in FP3
MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez set the quickest time of the San Marino Grand Prix weekend at Misano so far in FP3.
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Marquez headed title rival Jorge Lorenzo by 0.18s in the closing stages of the session.
Only a select few riders in the top 10 managed to improve their Friday pace before the final minutes of FP3, with 2017 Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales moving up the order on a 1m33.075s and a 1m33.392s respectively.
Vinales' current Suzuki teammate Aleix Espargaro also lowered his pace at around halfway, narrowly surpassing Vinales and subsequently crashing out at Turn 14.
With five minutes left on the clock, Marquez finally took care of Pol Espargaro's FP2 benchmark, setting the fastest lap of the weekend so far on a 1m32.451s.
Lorenzo moved up to second shortly thereafter, 0.18s off the Honda rider, with neither managing to improve until the chequered flag.
Tech 3's Pol Espargaro remained third overall, lapping close to his FP2 time but not managing to surpass it - with Dani Pedrosa likewise failing to improve but remaining fourth, his session interrupted by a Turn 15 fall at halfway.
Vinales took fifth, ahead of Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso and LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow, who held on to an automatic Q2 bye despite crashing out at Turn 2 with two minutes to go.
Valentino Rossi was eighth, 0.624s off the pace, with Ducati wildcard Michele Pirro and Suzuki's Aleix Espargaro making up the top 10.
Pirro also trialled an enclosed rear wheel on his bike, although Ducati's Paolo Ciabatti clarified such a solution was unlikely to be seen on either of the regular works bikes over the remainder of the season.
Pramac duo Scott Redding and Danilo Petrucci were among those who will have to fight through Q1, Petrucci's chances an an automatic Q2 slot ended by a late FP3 crash.
Marc VDS Honda's Jack Miller and Tech 3 sub Alex Lowes were the other two riders to take a tumble in FP3, with Misano continuing to provide a high rate of crashes.
Overall practice times
Pos. | # | Driver | Bike | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 93 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 1'32.451 | |
2 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | 1'32.631 | 0.180 |
3 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | Yamaha | 1'32.769 | 0.318 |
4 | 26 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 1'32.834 | 0.383 |
5 | 25 | Maverick Viñales | Suzuki | 1'32.839 | 0.388 |
6 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'32.901 | 0.450 |
7 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'33.074 | 0.623 |
8 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 1'33.075 | 0.624 |
9 | 51 | Michele Pirro | Ducati | 1'33.086 | 0.635 |
10 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Suzuki | 1'33.272 | 0.821 |
11 | 19 | Alvaro Bautista | Aprilia | 1'33.480 | 1.029 |
12 | 45 | Scott Redding | Ducati | 1'33.552 | 1.101 |
13 | 8 | Hector Barbera | Ducati | 1'33.581 | 1.130 |
14 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | 1'33.803 | 1.352 |
15 | 22 | Alex Lowes | Yamaha | 1'33.835 | 1.384 |
16 | 68 | Yonny Hernandez | Ducati | 1'34.011 | 1.560 |
17 | 6 | Stefan Bradl | Aprilia | 1'34.126 | 1.675 |
18 | 43 | Jack Miller | Honda | 1'34.143 | 1.692 |
19 | 53 | Tito Rabat | Honda | 1'34.222 | 1.771 |
20 | 50 | Eugene Laverty | Ducati | 1'34.457 | 2.006 |
21 | 12 | Xavi Forés | Ducati | 1'35.471 | 3.020 |
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