San Marino MotoGP, Misano - Free Practice (3) Results

* Rookie

Official Misano MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 31.065s (2021)
Fastest race lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 32.171s (2021)

Jack Miller leads a factory Ducati one-two in Free Practice 3 for the San Marino MotoGP, as a brief rain shower and flurry of yellow flags mar the closing statges of the session.

While the moisture soon passed, separate accidents for Pol Espargaro, Miguel Oliveira and Takaaki Nakagami caused lap time cancellations for numerous riders.

When the timesheets had been corrected, world champion Fabio Quartararo was credited as best of the rest behind the factory Ducati duo, but was pipped by Friday leader Enea Bastianini on combined times despite the Gresini rider not improving in FP3.

Aprilia's title contender Aleix Espargaro was another to rely on his Friday time to receive direct access to Qualifying 2, with team-mate Maverick Vinales another to lose his best lap.

Bagnaia will have a three-place grid penalty for Sunday's race after 'riding slow on the racing line in FP1 and causing a dangerous situation for other riders’.

Marc Marquez returned to the paddock this morning ahead of his return to the RC213V at next week's test and was watching from the Repsol Honda garage as team-mate Pol Espargaro staggered away from his fast accident at Turn 15.
 

Francesco Bagnaia arrives at his and Ducati’s home round on the crest of a wave after victories in the last three races.

That perfect run not only put Bagnaia into an elite group of three-in-a-row winners alongside Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez, but transformed his title chances.

91 points adrift before the win streak began, Bagnaia is now 44 from Yamaha’s reigning champion Fabio Quartararo and just 12 behind Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro.

Bagnaia is also the only one of that trio to have taken a prior Misano victory , in 2021, plus another podium in 2020, but he also fell from the lead of two other home races.

Last year’s late mistake not only confirmed Quartararo as world champion, but gave Marc Marquez what remains his and Honda’s most recent MotoGP victory.

The Spanish star won’t be present this weekend as he continues to recover from the fourth operation on his right arm, but Marquez made his two-wheeled return on a CBR600 at Aragon on Wednesday and HRC are hoping Marquez will be fit to make a comeback at next week’s post-race test.

Meanwhile, Misano will be the final MotoGP event for Andrea Dovizioso, Marquez’s main title rival from 2017-2019, who has decided to call an early end to a difficult season at RNF Yamaha with a farewell in front of his home fans.

The 36-year-old made his grand prix debut as a 125cc wild-card back in 2001 and has gone on to take 24 victories and 103 podiums. 15 wins and 62 podiums were in the premier-class, where he raced for Honda, Ducati and Yamaha.

Dovizioso will be replaced by Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow for the final six rounds.

Making his very first MotoGP start this weekend will be 31-year-old Japanese Superbike rider Kazuki Watanabe, who has been called up by Suzuki to replace the injured Joan Mir.

San Marino MotoGP - Full race weekend schedule (UK time)

Friday September 2

8am - Moto3 FP1

8.55am - MotoGP FP1

9.55am - Moto2 FP1

12.15am - Moto3 FP2

1.10pm - MotoGP FP2

2.10pm - Moto2 FP2

Saturday September 3

8am - Moto3 FP3

8.55am - MotoGP FP3

9.55am - Moto2 FP3

12pm - Moto3 Q2

12.30pm - MotoGP FP4

1.10pm - MotoGP Q1

1.35pm - MotoGP Q2

2.10pm - Moto2 Q1

2.35pm - Moto2 Q2

Sunday September 4

8am - Moto3 warm-up

8.20am - Moto2 warm-up

8.40am - MotoGP warm-up

10am - Moto3 race

11.20am - Moto2 race

1pm - MotoGP race