Quartararo and Bagnaia to Q1 after wet third Misano practice

Pramac Ducati rider Johann Zarco set the pace in a wet Saturday morning MotoGP practice session at Misano, with title rivals Fabio Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaia both consigned to contesting Q1.

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Key moments:

• Zarco leads Ducati 1-2-3
• Several crashes, Savadori taken to medical centre
• Title rivals to contest first qualifying segment
• … as will the Suzuki duo

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Though the session again started with the track wet and the weather distinctly overcast, fears that conditions would prevent laptime improvements relative to Friday did not come to pass – with riders producing personal bests en masse after a few exploratory laps.

Championship leader Quartararo was barely ever in the top 10 throughout the session, continuing to struggle on wets in the mixed conditions, and his final shot at booking a direct Q2 spot went begging when he ran wide at Turn 8 on his final attempt.

However, his only rival for the 2021 title was left on the outside as well, Bagnaia having been shuffled down the order in the final minutes and only managing to take 11th place with his final effort.

It will have been a particularly sour result for Bagnaia given his three fellow factory-spec Ducatis made up the top three places, with Zarco leading rookie Pramac team-mate Jorge Martin and Friday pace-setter Jack Miller.

The trio were more than three tenths up on their nearest rival, KTM man Miguel Oliveira, who shrugged off a mid-session crash at Turn 16, in which he lost the rear but simply slid off instead of highsiding.

Strange crash for the current leader! 👀@_moliveira88 runs out of grip at Turn 15! 💢#EmiliaRomagnaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/wHE1kIG809

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 23, 2021

The two factory Honda men Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro booked their Q2 places in fifth and sixth, ahead of Yamaha’s new works rider Franco Morbidelli, who was head and shoulders clear of the rest of the M1 contingent in these conditions.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia), Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM) and Luca Marini (VR46 Ducati) were the final three riders advancing directly to Q2.

That means that Quartararo and Bagnaia will be joined in Q1 by the likes of reigning champion Joan Mir and Mir’s Suzuki team-mate Alex Rins, who had a Turn 13 highside that left his bike shredding itself through the gravel.

Fast times flooding in, but conditions are still slippery! ⚠️@Rins42 is caught out through Turn 13! The Spaniard is unhurt 💢#EmiliaRomagnaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/rWosDc6nO4

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 23, 2021

Also crashing, and also heading to Q1, was Ducati test rider Michele Pirro.

Aprilia wildcard Lorenzo Savadori, who had been on course to advance into Q2 after yesterday, was the first rider to crash in FP3.

Rotten luck after a promising Friday! 😲

Aprilia wildcard @lorysava32 has crashed at Turn 1! 💢#EmiliaRomagnaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/HdTgf9cW5s

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 23, 2021

He was able to sit up but not stand up in the run-off after his Turn 1 accident, and was taken to the medical centre for a check-up, skipping the remainder of the session.

Practice 3 Results