Spanish MotoGP, Jerez - Saturday Practice Results

Saturday practice results from the Spanish MotoGP at Jerez, round 4 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Miguel Oliveira, MotoGP, Spanish MotoGP, 28 April
Miguel Oliveira, MotoGP, Spanish MotoGP, 28 April
 
2023 Spanish MotoGP, Jerez - Free Practice (3) Results
Pos RiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1^4Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)1'37.229s6/15290k
2^13Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.103s4/11293k
3˅2Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.243s5/8291k
4^12Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.283s14/14290k
5^9Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+0.295s3/15288k
6^1Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.404s6/11295k
7^5Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.410s6/13293k
8^3Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.414s4/7293k
9˅3Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.418s5/14292k
10˅8Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.436s5/15290k
11˅7Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.557s7/14293k
12˅4Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.587s6/11293k
13˅3Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.637s6/15290k
14˅5Dani PedrosaSPARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.688s4/16297k
15˅12Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.691s5/15293k
16^1Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.869s12/13293k
17^1Stefan BradlGERTeam HRC (RC213V)+1.019s12/15286k
18^1Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.058s4/12286k
19^4Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+1.238s8/13287k
20˅7Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.269s3/12289k
21=Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+1.405s6/14288k
22˅2Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+1.864s5/5294k
23˅1Jonas FolgerGERTech3 GASGAS (RC16)+2.306s10/12288k
24=Iker LecuonaSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+2.527s7/13286k

* Rookie

Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than Practice 2.
= Rider is same position as Practice 2.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than Practice 2.

Fastest Friday time:
Aleix Espargaro  SPA Aprilia 1m 36.708s

Official Jerez MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 36.170s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 37.669s (2022)

RNF Aprilia's Miguel Oliveira dominates Free Practice 3 for the 2023 Spanish MotoGP at Jerez.

Seventh on Friday, the Portuguese took the top spot from Fabio Quartararo by 0.103s on his sixth lap of the session and remained ahead thereafter.

Meanwhile factory Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro, fastest on Friday, had a much more stressful session on his way to third.

The Spaniard suffered a scary near miss when a cat ran across the back straight just in front of him, before falling a few minutes later when he lost the front at the 150km/h Turn 11. Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin also tumbled at a similar time.

Just 16th on Friday as he struggled with corner speed and aggressive bike behaviour, Quartararo set his best lap of the weekend so far for second in FP3, backed up by team-mate Franco Morbidelli in fourth.

But, as Takaaki Nakagami (fifth this morning) explained yesterday, some riders are fast in the cooler morning conditions but lose speed in the afternoon. In Nakagami's case, the problem is rear traction disappearing in the heat.

VR46 Ducati's Marco Bezzecchi, KTM's Brad Binder and Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin (who fell) completed the top eight.

Qualifying 1 for those outside of the top ten on Friday - including reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia (12th this morning), 2021 champion Quartararo and current title leader Marco Bezzecchi - will now get underway.

One rider that won't be present is Enea Bastianini, who continued to struggle with shoulder pain this morning and has withdrawn from the remainder of the event.

Remote video URL


While Enea Bastianini tried to return to action after being side-lined by shoulder injuries in the season-opening sprint race, Marc Marquez is missing his third event in a row due to hand injuries sustained in his collision with Miguel Oliveira in Portimao.

The eight-time world champion is being replaced at Jerez by Honda WorldSBK rider Iker Lecuona, who raced in MotoGP for Tech3 KTM during the 2020 and 2021 seasons with a best finish of sixth place. Lecuona, 23, took a WorldSBK podium last season and is currently ninth in the early 2023 standings.

31-time MotoGP winner Dani Pedrosa is also re-joining the premier-class grid this weekend, as a KTM wild-card. It is Pedrosa’s first grand prix appearance since Austria 2021 and first at Jerez since his final full-time season, at Repsol Honda, in 2018.

Pol Espargaro continues to recover from multiple injuries in Portugal and is again replaced at Tech3 by Pedrosa’s fellow KTM test rider Jonas Folger.

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