Marc Marquez tops first session since MotoGP return in FP3 at Le Mans

Marc Marquez was the only rider to break the 1m 41s barrier during an extremely wet MotoGP FP3 session at Le Mans as he finished fastest from Lorenzo Savadori. 

Marquez was fast during Friday’s FP1 in similar conditions as he finished fifth, but the Spaniard was the class of the field in FP3 as he concluded the session 0.6 of a second faster than the Aprilia rider. 

The eight-time world champion hit the front with 22 minutes remaining and remained there until Miguel Oliveira and Savadori momentarily took top spot away from the Repsol Honda man. 

However, Marquez regained that position seconds later while the impressive Savadori continued his best start to a MotoGP weekend so far with second. 

Third fastest was championship leader Francesco Bagnaia who will need to go through Qualifying 1 later today.

Fourth was the KTM of Oliveira, while the second Repsol Honda of Pol Espargaro was fifth fastest in what seems to be his strongest weekend for the team so far. 

Quickest on combined times Johann Zarco was sixth for the Pramac Ducati team, with both Suzuki’s bikes of Joan Mir and Alex Rins in seventh and eighth respectively. 

Iker Lecuona finished the session ninth for the Tech 3 KTM team on home soil, but the Spaniard did have a small crash at the dreaded turn three. 

Rounding out the top ten was rookie Luca Marini who made it three different Ducati team riders inside the top ten.  

Jack Miller was the first crasher of the session, while Aleix Espargaro encountered early issues aboard the 2021 RS-GP Aprilia as the bike had a problem on his out lap which resulted in the 31 year-old being helped down the service roads. 

A bizarre moment happened at the conclusion of FP3 as Franco Morbidelli took a tumble in pit lane when practising a bike change. The Italian looked in a bit of discomfort as he was helped into the garage by his mechanics.