Heavy rain overnight left the Red Bull Ring damp for the start of the MotoGP FP3, although a dry line formed as the bikes hit the track for the 45-minute session.
The top position changed hands several times on the wet track, with Danilo Petrucci on the Ducati, Suzuki’s Alex Rins, Vinales on the Yamaha and Miguel Oliveira from Tech3 KTM taking turns leading the table.
Oliveira’s lap of 1: 31.460 minutes after 15 minutes was the benchmark for about 10 minutes before Johann Zarco led his Avintia Ducati to the top with 1: 31.029 minutes.
By the time Zarco drove that lap, several riders had slicked their machines and started lighting the timing screens.
Honda’s Alex Marquez drove the first representative dry tire lap 16 minutes before the end and defeated Zarco with a time of 1: 30.038 minutes.
The reigning Moto2 world champion improved to 1: 28.576 minutes before Andrea Dovizioso took control of the time tables with 1: 27.380 minutes.
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The Ducati rider drove into this lap on his next two tours, improving to 1: 26.198, 1: 25.747 and then 1: 25.479.
KTM’s Pol Espargaro briefly took the top spot, but Dovizioso took it over with 1: 24.832 minutes – a lap time that was only a tenth outside the pace needed to improve the combined practice times.
Vinales proved there was potential for improvement in combined times in the closing stages as Vinales moved to the top of the FP3 timesheet and third overall with a time of 1: 24.317 minutes to cement his spot in the second quarter despite KTMs Espargaro stayed on his FP1 lap due to being fastest in combined time.
Dovizioso finished third in the session and second overall, while Jack Miller on his Pramac Ducati finished fourth in combined time after finishing second in FP3.
Oliveira finished fifth in FP3 with 1: 24.508 minutes, which earned him a Q2 place, along with Joan Mir (Suzuki), seventh-placed Espargaro and Fabio Quartararo – who shot in 1: 24.611 after death, to Zarco 0.044 seconds ahead to beat the combined times in 10th place to get the last Q2 place.
The top 10 in FP3 was completed by Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) and Cal Crutchlow from LCR, but both will compete later this afternoon in the first part of qualifying with Rossi and Brno race winner Brad Binder (KTM).
Red Bull Ring FP3 result
| Item | driver | team | gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha | 1m24.317s |
| 2 | Jack Miller | Pramac Ducati | 0.046s |
| 3 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 0.109s |
| 4th | Alex kidneys | Suzuki | 0.117s |
| 5 | Miguel Oliveira | Tech3 KTM | 0.191s |
| 6th | Joan me | Suzuki | 0.200s |
| 7th | Pol Espargaro | KTM | 0.208s |
| 8th | Fabio Quartararo | Petronas Yamaha | 0.294s |
| 9 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | 0.346s |
| 10 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda | 0.644s |
| 11 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 0.704 s |
| 12th | Michele Pirro | Pramac Ducati | 0.722s |
| 13th | Takaaki Nakagami | LCR Honda | 0.731 s |
| 14th | Iker Lecuona | Tech3 KTM | 0.872s |
| fifteen | Franco Morbidelli | Petronas Yamaha | 1.001s |
| 16 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1.117s |
| 17th | Alex Marquez | Honda | 1.150s |
| 18th | Johann Zarco | Ducati adventure | 1.151s |
| 19th | Brad Binder | KTM | 1.163s |
| 20th | Bradley Smith | Aprilia | 1.336s |
| 21 | Stefan Bradl | Honda | 1.702s |
| 22nd | Tito Rabat | Ducati adventure | 4.788s |