Fabio Quartararo returned to the top of the times in the third MotoGP practice at Misano, the Frenchman lapping just over two-tenths slower than Jorge Lorenzo’s lap record.
Quartararo spent most of the race working on race simulations, but went out for a final blistering run in the closing minutes of the session.
Fellow Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales initially looked to set to lead his second consecutive practice session, having shaved three-tenths from his leading Friday time with a 1:32.437 heading into the final quarter of FP3.
Quartararo however was a man on a mission, posting a rapid 1:32.346 to move ahead of Vinales before improving once again on his next lap to bang in a 1:32.081, a time just two-tenths slower than Lorenzo’s 2018 race record of 1:31.87.
This left Vinales second fastest, while Pol Espargaro impressed for KTM with the third fastest time of the session, 0.565 slower than Quartararo and will see him progress to Q2 as a result.
Marc Marquez and Franco Morbidelli on the second Petronas SRT machine rounded out the top five, while Takaaki Nakagami also raised eyebrows with the sixth quickest time ahead of Valentino Rossi.
Alex Rins will head directly to Q2 on his Suzuki, the Spaniard managing the eighth fastest time, while Ducati pairing Michele Pirro and Andrea Dovizioso are the final two riders to head straight to Q2 later on today.
Johann Zarco missed out on a Q2 berth by just 0.033 but was still an encouraging 11th fastest, while both Danilo Petrucci and Aleix Espargaro disappointed down in 17th and 18th having shown flashes of speed on Friday.
Joan Mir was 15th as he continues to get back up to speed having returned this weekend after missing the last two rounds through injury, while Lorenzo managed his own fastest lap of the weekend in FP3 with a 1:33.951, albeit only enough for 19th overall.
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