Reigning MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez marmalised the pack in this morning’s third free practice, finishing eight-tenths of a second ahead of Johann Zarco in a session held in damp conditions meaning the works Ducati men will have to push through qualifying one.
Marquez went out for his final run equipped with soft/medium Michelin wets and stormed to a 1’48.896 to depose Monster Yamaha’s Zarco while Alvaro Bautista ended in third place with team-mate Karel Abraham in fourth on a 1’49.892.
Pramac Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci was in top spot with two minutes left but he was knocked back to fifth, one ahead of Cal Crutchlow. Pol Espargaro completed the practice in seventh with rookie Hafizh Syahrin in eighth.
Points leader Andrea Dovizioso finished in ninth but he and Jorge Lorenzo, who both struggled badly in yesterday’s dry sessions, will have to fight it out for a place in qualifying two with the likes of Aleix Espargaro and Petrucci.
Dani Pedrosa, who spent time at a private Jerez test looking for ways to keep heat in tyres during early laps, was tenth, one if front of Valentino Rossi on the Movistar Yamaha. His team boss Maio Meregalli had assured the media that the 2018 M1 would be better in the wet but it would appear nothing has changed.
Rossi finished 1.749s off the pace while team-mate Maverick Vinales was two places further back but on similar laptimes. The pair will not be doing a rain dance this evening.
Espargaro and Redding are glued together in 14th and 15th with Lorenzo in 16th. Alex Rins ended in 19th, one ahead of Bradley Smith.
