Marquez tops third Australia practice, Q1 scare for Quartararo

Honda MotoGP rider Marc Marquez set the pace in the third practice session of the Phillip Island weekend, as all three primary 2022 title contenders progressed to Q2.

---

Key moments:

> Marquez leads Marini

> Five Ducatis in top 10

> Quartararo’s Q1 scare

---

Marquez, running the new Honda front and side aero, assumed the top-spot at the very end of a wild mock qualifying, customary for the end of FP3, by posting a 1m28.462s.

The lap, set in the tow of Aprilia title hopeful Aleix Espargaro, vaulted Marquez 0.130s clear of VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini.

Marini himself had taken over the top spot from Jorge Martin, the Pramac Ducati man having produced a stunning lap with over 11 minutes on the clock to go six tenths clear and not needing to improve after.

Behind Espargaro in fourth, rookie Marco Bezzecchi made it two VR46 riders in the top five.

Separated by two points at the front of the standings, Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo were a tenth apart, the latter only just climbing into the top 10 at the last second.

Quartararo was nearly left to rue towing Alex Marquez (LCR Honda), as younger Marquez set the seventh-fastest time, placing between the two works Ducatis of local hero Jack Miller and Bagnaia.

But despite going slower than the rider who’d used him as reference point, Quartararo still booked an automatic Q2 spot by half a tenth.

On Bagnaia’s side, the Italian was seen debriefing extensively with two-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner – who at other points in the session was being kept company by ousted Formula 1 race director Michael Masi.

The remaining Q2 spot went to Espargaro’s Aprilia team-mate Maverick Vinales, which meant those left on the outside looking in included Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco – who’d completed a clean sweep of Friday sessions – and Gresini Ducati title outsider Enea Bastianini.

There was also no space in the top 10 for any of the KTMs or Suzukis, despite KTM rider Miguel Oliveira spending a good chunk of the session in the lead.

Practice 3 Results