Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) takes FP3 honours at the Tissot Grand Prix of Doha, but a very windy and dusty afternoon saw none of the riders get close to challenging the times we saw in FP2. Quartararo’s best was a 1:56.064, nearly three seconds shy of overall leader Jack Miller’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) 1:53.145 from FP2. It’s the Australian who heads into qualifying as the man to beat, with fellow factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) completing a Desmosedici 1-2-3 in the desert.
???????? @FabioQ20 ends FP3 on top!
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) April 3, 2021
Conditions have prevented any overall improvements though! ❌#DohaGP ???? pic.twitter.com/8LOSEdLGor
Little was to be gained in the conditions that faced the MotoGP™ riders on Saturday afternoon. Miller and Zarco, along with Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) and Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Esponsorama) didn’t set a lap time in a very quiet premier class session.
Therefore, the times from FP2 are the ones that dictate who is heading straight into Q2, and who needs to navigate Q1 if they want a good grid slot for Sunday’s race. Quartararo sits fourth on the combined times, four tenths away from Miller, with impressive rookie Martin rounding out the top five and heading into Q2 for the first time.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) didn’t need to do a second time attack in FP2 as confidence oozes out the Noale camp, the Spaniard is P6 ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), World Championship leader Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) – the remaining top 10 riders.
So, missing out on automatic Q2 qualification are some big hitters. World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) to name two, but in reality, most of the riders have realistic aims of securing Q2 places.
Tune into MotoGP™ qualifying at 20:00 local time (GMT+3) to see what promises to be a dramatic couple of time attack sessions in Doha!
Top 10 combined:
1. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) 1:53.145
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.313
3. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 0.392
4. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.438
5. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) + 0.448
6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini)
7. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 0.554
8. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.568
9. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.727
10. Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.769
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RESULTS!