MotoGP Portugal: Miller fastest in FP3, world champion Mir misses Q2 cut
Pramac's Jack Miller led Tech3's Miguel Oliveira in FP3 for the Portuguese Grand Prix, as new MotoGP world champion Joan Mir missed the Q2 cut on his Suzuki
As is typical in FP3 sessions, improvements on the combined order relevant to the Q2 progression places weren't had for much of the opening half of the 45-minute outing.
Honda duo Alex Marquez and Stefan Bradl, LCR counterpart Takaaki Nakagami and home hero Miguel Oliveira on the Tech3 KTM all took turns leading the individual FP3 timesheet across the first 15 minutes.
Oliveira's 1m40.290s was beaten by Nakagami with a 1m40.114s with just over 17 minutes to go, before the Japanese rider moved up to ninth overall with a 1m39.804s on his first soft tyre time attack.
Pramac's Miller finally deposed Friday pacesetter Johann Zarco with 12 minutes remaining, guiding his Ducati GP20 to a 1m39.414s, while Petronas SRT's Fabio Quartararo moved up to third.
This stood as the benchmark until the closing two minutes, as a final salvo of laps shook up the order.
Oliveira edged ahead of Miller first with a 1m39.372s, before an injured Alex Rins took over top spot on his Suzuki with a 1m39.355s.
Oliveira's final effort of a 1m39.330s put him back on top of the pile for all of a few seconds, as Miller took the chequered flag with a 1m39.205s to end the morning 0.125 seconds clear of the field.
Rins held onto third spot ahead of Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso ahead of his final race before taking a sabbatical, with Nakagami rounding out the top five.
Fabio Quartararo has secured a place in Q2 after finishing FP3 sixth on his Petronas SRT Yamaha, though currently will not be joined by team-mate Franco Morbidelli.
The Italian was ninth on the FP3 timesheets, but his 1m39.619s was only good enough for 11th on the combined times.
KTM's Pol Espargaro survived a scary moment early in the session when he ran onto the grass on the run into Turn 7 to end FP3 seventh, with Bradl eighth and Yamaha's Maverick Vinales rounding out the top 10.
Vinales did not improve on his 1m39.536s from FP2, but still secures a place in Q2, with Zarco also holding onto a top 10 place on combined times despite ending FP3 13th.
World champion Joan Mir was only 15th in FP3 on the Suzuki and faces a tough Q1 session ahead, with the likes of LCR's Cal Crutchlow, Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, Marquez and KTM's Brad Binder joining him in the first part of qualifying this afternoon.
Valentino Rossi's tough weekend failed to improve on Saturday morning, with the Yamaha rider 1.5s off the pace in 20th ahead of Avintia's Tito Rabat and Tech3 stand-in Mika Kallio.
MotoGP Portuguese GP FP3 results
| Pos | Rider | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Miller | Pramac Ducati | 1m39.205s |
| 2 | Miguel Oliveira | Tech3 KTM | 0.125s |
| 3 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 0.150s |
| 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 0.199s |
| 5 | Takaaki Nakagami | LCR Honda | 0.206s |
| 6 | Fabio Quartararo | Petronas Yamaha | 0.275s |
| 7 | Pol Espargaro | KTM | 0.308s |
| 8 | Stefan Bradl | Honda | 0.364s |
| 9 | Franco Morbidelli | Petronas Yamaha | 0.414s |
| 10 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha | 0.488s |
| 11 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda | 0.512s |
| 12 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 0.527s |
| 13 | Johann Zarco | Avintia Ducati | 0.596s |
| 14 | Lorenzo Savadori | Aprilia | 0.729s |
| 15 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | 0.746s |
| 16 | Alex Marquez | Honda | 0.800s |
| 17 | Brad Binder | KTM | 0.825s |
| 18 | Francesco Bagnaia | Pramac Ducati | 1.243s |
| 19 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | 1.279s |
| 20 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 1.517s |
| 21 | Tito Rabat | Avintia Ducati | 2.787s |
| 22 | Mika Kallio | Tech3 KTM | 3.263s |
Rins to evaluate shoulder operation after MotoGP season ends
Bezzecchi not given VR46 nod to make MotoGP step-up with Aprilia
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special
How Quartararo is evoking an absent MotoGP great in 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success
The human importance of Marquez’s latest enforced MotoGP absence
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Autosport, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. Autosport analyses what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP’s Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How Honda's praise for its 2022 MotoGP bike has turned into doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022