Dutch Grand Prix TT Assen MotoGP FP3: Fabio Quartararo's devil comes out of his box at the last second for a new record!

During the first day of the Dutch Grand Prix, the MotoGP riders benefited from two factors allowing them to be very fast from the start: Almost perfect weather and Michelin tires a notch softer than those of last year .

Under these optimal conditions, Maverick Viñales, Fabio Quartararo, Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Dovizioso, Álex Rins, Andrea Iannone, Marc Márquez, Joan Mir, Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow pre-qualified for Q2, even if some, like Marc Márquez, owe their relatively average position only to a strategy of working above all for the race.

Conversely, things went much less well for the unfortunate man. Jorge Lorenzo who will be absent during several events, victim of a very rapid fall having fractured 2 vertebrae.
Much less serious but not positive, is the situation of the KTMs, with a first RC16 in 15th position, 1,3 seconds behind the best time achieved by Maverick Vinales.

In the end, if almost all the headliners have already entered the top 10, several of them point out the similarity with the tests of the previous Grand Prix in Barcelona, ​​where several drivers had shown a very similar pace during the sessions, but where only one was able to escape during the race...

Weather-wise, this 2nd day is expected to be warmer than yesterday and, for the moment, the sun is shining in a completely clear sky, generating temperatures of 23 degrees in the air and 30 degrees on the ground. The track record belonging to Valentino Rossi, which is hanging by a thread, will it fall this morning?

While waiting for the response, here are the references available for this last MotoGP session allowing direct passage to Q2:

 

Assen MotoGP™	2018	2019
FP1	1'34.227 Marc Márquez (see here)	1'33.909 Fabio Quartararo (see here)
FP2	1'33.378 Maverick Viñales (see here)	1'32.638 Maverick Viñales (see here)
FP3	1'33.341 Marc Márquez (see here)	1'32.471 Fabio Quartararo (see here)
FP4	1'33.954 Marc Márquez (see here)
QP1	1'33.578 Johann Zarco (see here)
QP2	1'32.791 Marc Márquez (see here)
warm up	1'33.939 Marc Márquez (see here)
Course	Márquez, Rins, Vinales (see here)
All time lap record	1'32.627 Valentino Rossi (2015)

Like yesterday morning, it's Franco Morbidelli who sets off first when the red lights go out.

With track conditions still close to perfect, we see that many Michelin tire configurations are being tested this morning.

At the end of the first rolling round, it's once again Maverick Vinales who is the fastest in 1'34.507.

From the 3rd pass, Marc Márquez confirms his speed in getting into rhythm, in 1'33.506, before Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales took back the lead in 1'33.416 two laps later.

After 10 minutes, fabio quartararo takes the lead in 1'33.334 but Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales immediately regains his good in 1'33.287 then 1'33.260.

During this first run, we find generally the same drivers as yesterday in the top 10, but none of them has yet improved their time from the day before: Maverick Viñales, Fabio Quartararo, Marc Márquez, Álex Rins, Andrea Dovizioso, Andrea Iannone, Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Joan Mir and Takaaki Nakagami, all in 8 tenths.

Valentino Rossi is then 15th, Cal Crutchlow 16th, Pol Espargaro 17th and Johann zarco 18e.

On resumption, Valentino Rossi progresses from 15th to 10th position while Takaaki Nakagami is placed 6th and that Andrea Dovizioso confirms that it is there, on the 3rd line of the table.

Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales then try an aluminum fork instead of its usual carbon element.

fabio quartararo then has to return to his box because he is bothered by the overflow tank on his Yamaha which has come loose.

At the end of the 2nd run, Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales precede Fabio Quartararo, Andrea Dovizioso, Marc Márquez, Takaaki Nakagami, Álex Rins, Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Iannone, Jack Miller, Joan Mir, Valentino Rossi, Aleix Espargaró, Tito Rabat, Franco Morbidelli, Francesco Bagnaia, Cal Crutchlow, Pol Espargaró, Johann Zarco , Hafizh Syahrin, Miguel Oliveira and Karel Abraham.

The last quarter of an hour begins with the improvement of Franco Morbidelli who, after losing an element of his saddle, climbed to 5th position.

In the process, things finally start to liven up and Cal Crutchlow returns to the top 5 while fabio quartararo leads the table in 1'32.807, his best time of the weekend.

Alex Rins seems very comfortable and takes 3rd place but it's Danilo Petrucci which undermines the record of Valentino Rossi in 1'32.580!

8 minutes from the checkered flag, the traditional calmer moment follows where the drivers return to their box to fit a soft rear tire.

So tenth of the session, Marc Márquez attacks the last pass by lighting all the sectors in red, obtaining provisional 2nd place in 1'32.688. Overall, this places him 3rd.

Takaaki Nakagami progress also achieves the 4th time of the session, which places him 5th in a combined ranking where then he no longer appears Cal Crutchlow et Valentino Rossi.

It would be without counting without the talent of these 2 men who immediately reacted and re-entered the top 10, ejecting Joan mir and, surprise, Alex Rins !

Last event of this session which will have waited until the last moments to ignite, as the devil of fabio quartararo comes out of his box at the last second and takes provisional pole position!

Final twist, Valentino Rossi sees his best lap canceled for going off the track, which will force the Italian champion to go through Q1…

FP1/FP2/FP3 classification of the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix in Assen:

FP3 ranking of the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix in Assen:

Credit rankings: MotoGP.com