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MotoGP Red Bull Ring: Honda's Marquez hits the front in FP3

MotoGP points leader Marc Marquez topped third practice for the Austrian Grand Prix by more than four tenths, while Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa failed to advance directly to Q2

The session started with Yamaha's Valentino Rossi - who had struggled with illness on Friday and could only manage 12th in practices one and two - leading the early running.

Rossi opted to use Yamaha's new fairing in the session, which he first tested at Brno last Monday and was not expected to use at the Red Bull Ring.

Although Johann Zarco and then Marquez knocked Rossi off top spot at the halfway point, the Italian went quicker again and became the first rider to beat Andrea Dovizioso's Friday benchmark by going under the 1m24s barrier.

But Rossi was again trumped by Zarco and Marquez, with the Honda rider's eventual session-best of 1m23.459s putting him 0.423 seconds clear.

Behind Zarco, Suzuki's Andrea Iannone took third.

Jorge Lorenzo was Ducati's lead representative in fourth, with Rossi ending the session in fifth ahead of Yamaha team-mate Maverick Vinales.

The 2015-spec Ducatis of Loris Baz (Avintia) and Aspar's Karel Abraham completed the top eight and will take part in Q2 as a result.

Cal Crutchlow fell at Turn 9 and ended the session ninth - and last of those to automatically progress to Q2.

Scott Redding was 10th, but will have to take part in the Q1 qualifying session as Dovizioso's fastest lap from FP2 was enough to put him through to Q2 despite finishing FP3 in 16th and the best part of a second off Marquez's time.

Pedrosa could only manage the 14th-fastest time in FP3 and like Redding will have to take part in the first part of qualifying.

Bradley Smith was the only rider apart from Crutchlow to crash during the session.

The KTM rider falling at Turn 1 and finishing the session slowest of the 24 riders.

FP3 times

Pos Rider Team Bike Time Gap Laps
1 Marc Marquez Honda Honda 1m23.459s - 24
2 Johann Zarco Tech3 Yamaha Yamaha 1m23.882s 0.423s 27
3 Andrea Iannone Suzuki Suzuki 1m23.943s 0.484s 25
4 Jorge Lorenzo Ducati Ducati 1m23.968s 0.509s 22
5 Valentino Rossi Yamaha Yamaha 1m23.995s 0.536s 24
6 Maverick Vinales Yamaha Yamaha 1m24.049s 0.590s 22
7 Loris Baz Avintia Ducati Ducati 1m24.097s 0.638s 22
8 Karel Abraham Aspar Ducati Ducati 1m24.109s 0.650s 23
9 Cal Crutchlow LCR Honda Honda 1m24.182s 0.723s 20
10 Scott Redding Pramac Ducati Ducati 1m24.190s 0.731s 23
11 Danilo Petrucci Pramac Ducati Ducati 1m24.196s 0.737s 24
12 Jonas Folger Tech3 Yamaha Yamaha 1m24.275s 0.816s 21
13 Hector Barbera Avintia Ducati Ducati 1m24.294s 0.835s 20
14 Dani Pedrosa Honda Honda 1m24.421s 0.962s 24
15 Alvaro Bautista Aspar Ducati Ducati 1m24.427s 0.968s 24
16 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati Ducati 1m24.454s 0.995s 22
17 Mika Kallio KTM KTM 1m24.630s 1.171s 22
18 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia Aprilia 1m24.642s 1.183s 21
19 Pol Espargaro KTM KTM 1m24.660s 1.201s 22
20 Alex Rins Suzuki Suzuki 1m24.709s 1.250s 24
21 Jack Miller MVDS Honda Honda 1m24.744s 1.285s 24
22 Tito Rabat MVDS Honda Honda 1m24.887s 1.428s 26
23 Sam Lowes Aprilia Aprilia 1m25.033s 1.574s 22
24 Bradley Smith KTM KTM 1m25.515s 2.056s 20


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