Yamaha's Maverick Vinales posted a late flyer to top a damp MotoGP French Grand Prix FP3 at Le Mans, just ahead of Honda rider Marc Marquez and Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller.
Friday pacesetter Vinales posted a 1:42.498s late on as the track started to dry slightly in the closing stages of the 45-minute session, swapping fastest times with Marquez as the clock ticked to zero.
Vinales ultimately secured the top spot by 0.180s, and nearly half-a-second clear of third placed Miller.
Alex Rins (Suzuki) was a distant fourth, nearly a second from the leading pace, while Johann Zarco popped in an encouraging fifth fastest time in the dying moments of the session on the KTM.
Danilo Petrucci took sixth in the session on his works Ducati, while behind him Jorge Lorenzo continued his improved form this weekend in seventh following a change back to Honda’s standard seat on his RC213V machine.
Pol Espargaro made sure both factory KTM’s finished in the top ten with the eighth quickest time, while Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) and Valentino Rossi on the Yamaha rounded out the top ten.
Due to the wet track surface, improvements in time compared to the dry practice sessions yesterday were impossible. This meant that the likes of Rossi, as well as Cal Crutchlow (LCR) and Rins will have to battle it out in Q1 for a chance to compete in the Q2 shoot-out later on today.
Joan Mir meanwhile was the only man to crash during the wet conditions, losing the front at the penultimate corner and sliding down the road at slow speed.
The Suzuki pilot was uninjured and continued on to set the 11th quickest time by the end of the session.
Discussion about this post