10/02/2021 |
Christina Bulpett |
MotoGP
Image: GeeBee Pictures
Jack Miller dominated MotoGP FP3 in Austin on Saturday as the Ducati Lenovo rider led the times with an impressive 2,02,923 lap.
Takaaki Nakagami showed his confidence throughout the session on his way to second overall, with 2019 winner Alex Rins completing Friday hero Marc Marquez’s top 3.
The third free practice session was ignited under a cloud of criticism after the MotoGP group raised all of its concerns about the suitability of the COTA track for safe racing on Friday night. Aleix Espargaro said if it was up to him they wouldn’t drive on Sunday while numerous others condemn the mix of new and old surfaces and the ever-increasing bumps as anything from difficult and challenging to absolutely dangerous.
Nakagami led the table at the beginning of the action, the LCR man led Iker Lecuona before Fabio Quartararo increased the pace with 2,06,069. The Japanese returned the shot next time with a 2’04.918, followed by Marc Marquez. The Hondas sat half a second in front of the field after the first three laps.
As the session continued, the Catalan was within six tenths of his fastest Friday, Quartararo and Joan Mir battling it out for third and fourth, while the Espargaro brothers trailed in fifth and sixth – the HRC machine overtook them Aprilia for joy about a tenth.
The Ducatis began to land on the track after 10 minutes, with Johann Zarco leading Miller into sixth and seventh before Miguel Oliveira arrived to demote the pair. Nakagami takes the lead again at the top.
I moved up to second place when the session reached the middle distance, only four riders have been running at 2’04 pace so far, while Zarco moved up to fifth place. Rins finished eighth with 20 minutes to go, Miller and Espargaro completed the top 10, but the Aprilia man’s best performance is still behind the Q2 promotion zone overall.
Nakagami sent an early time attack and already drove on a 2,03,739 lap on new soft Michelin tires. His team-mate Alex Marquez also suffered a slow-speed crash in turn one.
Oliveira was next to strike, finishing second on a 2’04.652 to leave nearly a second in the session and sixth in combined time before Miller arrived. The Ducati reached the top thanks to a 2’03.5 while his teammate who won the race circulated in 17th place.
The factory Yamaha was charged with 12 minutes remaining. Quartararo slipped back to third place, while Franky Morbidelli entered the top 10 in eighth place – albeit three tenths away from promotion.
Rins had found his rhythm when he drove to fourth place, Mir sat at eight, Zarco, Oliveira and Marquez shared the Suzukis and seven minutes left on the clock. Espargaro crashes his Aprilia at Turn 12 on an out lap the next time.
I and his teammate improved on his next attempt when the Respol Hondas rolled out of the pit lane for their final hits. Pol Espargaro climbed to fifth on his first attempt, Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia were the only riders in the combined top 10 who have improved so far from their Friday times. The eight-time champion ended when the clock counted down and finished third with a 2’03.8, Zarco and Quartararo painfully struggling back in fourth and fifth.
Morbidelli was the gate to Q2 30 seconds before the end, Miller stormed the overall standings with 2’02,923 minutes when Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini overthrew the Italian from the ascent. The same fate befell me while Bastianini did the same when the late attacks by KTM’s Brad Binder and Oliveira took eighth and eleventh place respectively. Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso finished FP3 in 15th and 17th place – Lecuona was between the Petronas pair – with Marquez, Espargaro, Luca Marini and Danilo Petrucci completing the overall standings after the VR46 rider suffered a late high-speed crash.
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