MotoGP

Miller tops FP3 at Portimao, Mir, Morbidelli and Rossi to Q1

by Valentin Khorounzhiy
3 min read

Pramac Ducati rider Jack Miller topped the third MotoGP practice session at Portimao, as series champion Joan Mir and second-placed Franco Morbidelli were both consigned to Q1.

For much of the session, which was back to a 45-minute running time after the two Friday practices clocked in at 70 minutes each, riders were around a second off the best pace set on Friday.

But as qualifying simulations began in the closing stages, Miller posted a 1m39.414s that eclipsed Johann Zarco’s FP2 benchmark by 0.003s.

Home hero Miguel Oliveira improved upon Miller’s time by half a tenth with two minutes left on the clock, and after being deposed from the top spot by Alex Rins, reclaimed first place at the chequered flag.

But the Tech3 KTM man was denied by Miller, whose 1m39.205s left him just over a tenth clear of Oliveira.

Miguel Oliveira, Tech3 KTM, Portimao, MotoGP

Suzuki rider Rins settled for third, and had to pull over to the side of the track after the chequered flag. He tried to request a lift back to the pits from one of his fellow riders, but was unsuccessful.

Ducati’s outgoing rider Andrea Dovizioso snatched a Q2 spot late on, beating LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami to fourth place in the session by 0.004s.

Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha) and Pol Espargaro (KTM) were next up, the latter having had a scary moment during FP3 when he got sideways on the grass entering Turn 7 and only just held on to the bike. Both Quartararo and Espargaro preserved their 100-percent record of Q2 appearances in 2020 as a result.

Honda rider Stefan Bradl, who’s served as Marc Marquez’s stand-in for most of the season, has been enjoying a superb weekend and secured his first Q2 appearance of the campaign by finishing eighth in FP3.

Morbidelli was ninth-fastest, yet will have to go through Q1 because his time wasn’t enough to eclipse the best Friday efforts by Zarco and Yamaha stablemate Maverick Vinales.

Joining Morbidelli and Mir (15th-fastest in FP3) in the first qualifying segment will be Valentino Rossi, whose torrid weekend on the Yamaha continued as he placed just 20th.

Practice 3 Results

Pos Name Team Bike Gap Next Gap Leader Best Time
1 Jack Miller Pramac Racing Ducati 1m39.205s
2 Miguel Oliveira Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM +0.125s +0.125s 1m39.33s
3 Alex Rins Team Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +0.025s +0.15s 1m39.355s
4 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati Team Ducati +0.049s +0.199s 1m39.404s
5 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda Honda +0.007s +0.206s 1m39.411s
6 Fabio Quartararo Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha +0.069s +0.275s 1m39.48s
7 Pol Espargaró Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.033s +0.308s 1m39.513s
8 Stefan Bradl Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.056s +0.364s 1m39.569s
9 Franco Morbidelli Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha +0.05s +0.414s 1m39.619s
10 Maverick Viñales Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha +0.074s +0.488s 1m39.693s
11 Cal Crutchlow LCR Honda Honda +0.024s +0.512s 1m39.717s
12 Aleix Espargaró Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia +0.015s +0.527s 1m39.732s
13 Johann Zarco Avintia Racing Ducati +0.069s +0.596s 1m39.801s
14 Lorenzo Savadori Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia +0.133s +0.729s 1m39.934s
15 Joan Mir Team Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +0.017s +0.746s 1m39.951s
16 Alex Marquez Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.054s +0.8s 1m40.005s
17 Brad Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.025s +0.825s 1m40.03s
18 Francesco Bagnaia Pramac Racing Ducati +0.418s +1.243s 1m40.448s
19 Danilo Petrucci Ducati Team Ducati +0.036s +1.279s 1m40.484s
20 Valentino Rossi Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha +0.238s +1.517s 1m40.722s
21 Tito Rabat Avintia Racing Ducati +1.27s +2.787s 1m41.992s
22 Mika Kallio Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM +0.476s +3.263s 1m42.468s
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