Danilo Petrucci had broken the Sepang track record during the last tests in Malaysia. During the first two days on the Losail track, the Ducati official seemed to give signs suggesting that he could also achieve a success in Qatar. But the last evening was something completely different. The Desmosedici suddenly became discreet. However, Petrux remains at the head of the Borgo Panigale clan, with a ninth place.
The third day of testing, on the Losail track, was partially affected by the wind. But the Borgo Panigale drivers were able to work particularly on the distance of a Grand Prix. An exercise carried out jointly at Ducati, as in Malaysia, except this time, Petrucci was dropped by his teammate and leader Dovizioso...
Petrucci achieved his best time in 1'54.818, which earned him a place in the top 10. He comments: “ The day at the start was not easy because it was very windy and we had to change the bike's settings. However, I must say that we worked well because, when I subsequently installed the soft tire, we immediately managed to set the best provisional time ».
« We then returned to the competition by doing a simulation with Andrea and swapping positions, as we had already done in Malaysia. I'm happy with the race pace, but I need to improve on the timed lap. I am very satisfied with the way I deal with worn tires, thanks to Dovizioso's advice » insists Petrux who adds: “ during the race simulation done together, during the first 11 laps, I was in front of Dovi, then we exchanged positions, but Andrea slowed down, perhaps because he heated the front tire too much behind me. He stopped after 4 laps, but I continued, keeping a good pace. I am very satisfied I have no choice, if I want to stay with Ducati in the future I have to stay with the fastest: at the moment there are at least 10 riders to be able to play for the podium ».
MotoGP, Qatar J3 Test: times
| 1 | 12 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha M1 | 1:54.208 | ||
| 2 | 20 | fabio quartararo | Yamaha M1 | 1:54.441 | 0.233 | 0.233 |
| 3 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda RC213V | 1:54.613 | 0.405 | 0.172 |
| 4 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha M1 | 1:54.651 | 0.443 | 0.038 |
| 5 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Honda RC213V | 1:54.653 | 0.445 | 0.002 |
| 6 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha M1 | 1:54.660 | 0.452 | 0.007 |
| 7 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | KTM RC16 | 1:54.770 | 0.562 | 0.110 |
| 8 | 30 | Takaaki Nakagami | Honda RC213V | 1:54.789 | 0.581 | 0.019 |
| 9 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati GP19 | 1:54.818 | 0.610 | 0.029 |
| 10 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati GP19 | 1:54.851 | 0.643 | 0.033 |
| 11 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:54.852 | 0.644 | 0.001 |
| 12 | 36 | Joan mir | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:54.997 | 0.789 | 0.145 |
| 13 | 63 | Francis Bagnaia | Ducati GP18 | 1:55.074 | 0.866 | 0.077 |
| 14 | 53 | Tito Rabat | Ducati GP18 | 1:55.229 | 1.021 | 0.155 |
| 15 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati GP19 | 1:55.233 | 1.025 | 0.004 |
| 16 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:55.343 | 1.135 | 0.110 |
| 17 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda RC213V | 1:55.690 | 1.482 | 0.347 |
| 18 | 88 | Miguel Oliveira | KTM RC16 | 1:55.773 | 1.565 | 0.083 |
| 19 | 41 | Aleix Espargaró | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:55.814 | 1.606 | 0.041 |
| 20 | 38 | Bradley Smith | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:56.072 | 1.864 | 0.258 |
| 21 | 17 | Karel Abraham | Ducati GP18 | 1:56.121 | 1.913 | 0.049 |
| 22 | 5 | Johann zarco | KTM RC16 | 1:56.162 | 1.954 | 0.041 |
| 23 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | KTM RC16 | 1:56.371 | 2.163 | 0.209 |
