Emilia-Romagna MotoGP: Zarco tops FP3, but Bagnaia misses out on top ten

For the second time this weekend Johann Zarco tops a free practice session at the Emilia-Romagna MotoGP, while title contenders Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo miss out on an automatic Q2 spot.
Johann Zarco, Emilia-Romagna MotoGP, 22 October 2021
Johann Zarco, Emilia-Romagna MotoGP, 22 October 2021
© Gold and Goose

Johann Zarco made it a Ducati 1-2-3 by topping FP3 at the Emilia-Romagna MotoGP, but fellow Ducati rider Frances༺𓄧co Bagnaia joined title rival Fabio Quartararo in missing the top ten. 

With ✨less than five minutes gone of FP3, Lorenzo Savadori became the first rider to crash after suffering a heavy fall on the exit of turn one. 

Conditions were once again proving difficult w𓆉ith lap times some way off of what was possible in Friday’s FP2. 

However, Francesco Bagnaia unexpectedly found pace with just 12 mi♚nutes gone to move from eighth to fifth, before Miguel Oliveira and Marc Marquez also found significan🐲t improvements. 

Oliviera then jumped up to second, while Marquez slotted in behind t🦂he KTM rider with third. The Repsol Honda rider’s next lap p⛎ut him just +0.010s off Miller’s best time from FP2 before he returned to pit lane. 

Joan Mir, who was in need of a better lap - outside the top ten during the early running -  momentarily went quickest, just for Miller to come across theꦅ line and regain t🍷op spot. 

Ducati riders c💮ontinued to lead the way as Bagnaia then bettered his ꦏteam-mates' time by half a tenth. 

Bagnaia’s time at the top lasted just a few secon✱ds though as Oliveira br𒆙oke into the 1m 40s for the first time this weekend. 

But while a retur🎃n to form looked to be taking place for Oliveira, the Portuguese rider then crashed on the exit of turn 15. 

Like Bagna♛ia, Oliveira’s fastest time was soon bette💦red by impressive MotoGP rookie Jorge Martin who went nearly four tenths quicker on a 1:40.471s.

With lap times contไinuing to improve late on, Marquez moved from sixtꦗh to third, while a much needed lap from Quartararo put him tenth. 

However, the French⭕ rider was immediately bumped back out of the top ten by Tech 3 KTM rider Danilo Petrucci. Quartararo was unable to go any faster and ultimately finished 15th.

Late efforts from Aleix Espargaro, Pol Espargaro and Luca Marini then bumpedꩲ Bagnaia out of the top ten, and although the Italian improved his time on his final lap, he too missed out on a direct Q2 appearance.&nbဣsp;

The first non Ducati rider in fourth was Oliveira, while Marque🌞z and tea🅺m-mate P. Espargaro were fifth and sixth.

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