Leopard Racing’s Tatsuki Suzuki has gone fastest in Free Practice for the Moto3™ field at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix with a very late effort in FP3. The Japanese rider clocked a 2:10.713 well after the chequered flag had been unfurled at the Silverstone Circuit to claim bragging rights and, more importantly, book his place in Q2 this afternoon. World Championship leader Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team), however, will have to fight from Q1 after he was classified only 18th on combined practice times.
It was a late rush which decided matters. Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max’s John McPhee had clocked a 2:10.939 in FP2 on the afternoon prior and that was still the fastest lap of the weekend in the lightweight class when the chequers started waving on FP3. Suzuki then jumped up from 10th with a 2:10.713 and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) took over second position with a 2:10.833. There was no improvement for McPhee but he still has the third-fastest lap on the combined timesheet, with Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) fourth on a 2:10.966 and Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) rounding out the top five on a 2:10.972.
Job done for @TatsukiSuzuki24! ✅
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) August 6, 2022
He grabs top spot in #Moto3 FP3 on his last flying lap! ????#BritishGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/aB4WMYyGoI
Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) looked like going into Q1 until he earned eighth position with a 2:11.247 on his final lap, and Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) claimed 12th on a 2:11.372. However, Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) missed the top 14, with a personal-best 2:11.735 leaving him 20th.
Still, the biggest name to miss the cut was none other than the rider who is top of the World Championship table, that being Garcia. The Spaniard was only 24th as he exited the pits for his final run and had crept up to 19th when the chequered flag came out. Garcia subsequently set a 2:11.691 which was still a thousandth of a second slower than 14th position, and he would be shuffled back to 18th all-told.
Leaving it as late as possible but it's not enough! ????@garciadols11 JUST misses out on a Q2 place! ⚔️#BritishGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/GsrZcpW5Jo
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) August 6, 2022
Can he make it out of Q1 and join the fight for pole position? Find out later on Saturday at 12:35 (GMT +1).
Moto3™ Top 10:
1. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) – 2:10.713
2. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) + 0.120
3. John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 0.226
4. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.253
5. Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) + 0.259
6. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 0.384
7. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) + 0.510
8. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) + 0.534
9. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) + 0.572
10. Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) + 0.607