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Third is still Hernandez, 0.667s behind Smith and 0.866s behind Crutchlow.
With two minutes remaining, Crutchlow is still yet to reappear.
Baz improves to sixth.
Bautista has fallen at Turn 14 on his Aprilia.
Checkered flag
Smith is also back in the pits, as the chequered flag is shown.
Laverty is set to improve, personal bests through the first three sectors.
Miller has logged his first lap, he is eighth.
Laverty does improve but he stays fourth in the order.
Information
Crutchlow and Smith progress to Q2, which starts in eight minutes.
Hernandez will start 13th, head of Laverty, Espargaro, Baz, Bautista, Miller, Rabat and Bradl.
Smith's stint does perhaps provide a pointer for the 15-minute session we will see shortly, that there might not be much gained by pitting for fresh Michelins during the session.
Green flag
Here we go, 15 minutes of qualifying for MotoGP's top guns.
Marquez, Dovizioso, Pedrosa, Barbera, Redding, Espargaro, Crutchlow and Iannone head straight out.
Only Lorenzo, Vinales, Rossi and Smith yet to go.
A big quarter of an hour coming up. The first qualifying session on the new Michelin tyres, and the first chance we have to see what Ducati and Suzuki can really bring to the table this year.
We now have a full contingent of riders on track.
Pole here last year went to Dovizioso, a 1m54.113s lap.
Marquez sets the first time of the session, a 1m56.774s.
Slow first laps for Barbaea, Iannone, Crutchlow, Redding, Pedrosa and Espargaro - all more than four seconds off the pace. Easing their new Michelin tyres in?
Stopwatch
Rossi goes to the top, with a 1m56.024s lap.
Stopwatch
It doesn't last long, Lorenzo sets a 1m54.543s. That's 1.481s up. Bang.
Vinales has slotted into third, between Rossi and Marquez.
Lorenzo's lap is the fastest we have seen so far this weekend.
Marquez improves, but he is still 0.4s behind Lorenzo, on a 1m54.943s.
Lorenzo is faster again through the first three sectors on the next lap.
Iannone is now second, 0.329s behind Lorenzo, for the moment at least.
Lorenzo loses time in the final sector and does not improve overall.
Marquez is now fastest of all through the first three sectors.
Marquez gets to within 0.091s of Lorenzo, on his fourth lap.
The order with six minutes to go: Lorenzo, Marquez, Iannone, Pedrosa, Barbera, Vinales, Dovizioso, Crutchlow, Rossi, Smith, Redding, Espargaro.
Riders are heading back to the pits momentarily, only Marquez, Barbera, Dovizioso and Smith still on track.
Dovizioso and Smith are both fastest of all through the first sector.
Dovizioso improves, he is seventh, 0.720s off Lorenzo's benchmark.
Smith also improves, he moves up to ninth.

By: Matt Beer

Published: