The last Free Practice counting towards the Qualifying sessions this afternoon at Sachsenring saw things becoming really hot on the German track in the final minutes. It was amazing to see Bradley Smith on his Tech3 Yamaha satellite team being able to dethrone Marc Marquez, who seemed to have a great time in all the FP outings.
However, his lead was a brief one, as Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi quickly pushed Smith down to the third position, only to have Marquez on a 1'21.083 flying lap regaining the first position in Q2, and Dovizioso stepping up in fourth, just 6 thousandths of a second quicker.
Things are indeed becoming more and more interesting in MotoGP as we now look at the FP3 time sheet and see no less than 14 riders packed in less than a second gap, and this is also true for the combined times. Both charts are available after the jump.
Still, many of those who tested the asymmetric preferred the medium tire in the end and were able to actually become faster. As for the weather at the German track, things have been on the edge on more than one occasion, as sudden changes in temperature could play an important role on race day.
FP3 saw two high-side crashes from Aleix Espargaro and Cal Crutchlow. The Ecstar Suzuki rider went down losing the front at Turn 1, while the CWM LCR Brit high-sided hard at Turn 3. Both riders are alright and have not sustained injuries.
The top ten was completed with Dani Pedrosa in the sixth position right after Smith, followed by Aleix Espargaro, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Iannone and Pol Espargaro. Maverick Vinales and Scott Redding go to Q1.
Things are indeed becoming more and more interesting in MotoGP as we now look at the FP3 time sheet and see no less than 14 riders packed in less than a second gap, and this is also true for the combined times. Both charts are available after the jump.
More riders opted for the Medium tires instead of the asymmetric front offered by Bridgestone.
With Bridgestone saying that the track temperature went up from yesterday, it was no surprise to see many riders going out with the medium tire. The official tire supplier brought an asymmetric front tire at Sachsenring because of the strong imbalance between left-hand turns and right-handers.Still, many of those who tested the asymmetric preferred the medium tire in the end and were able to actually become faster. As for the weather at the German track, things have been on the edge on more than one occasion, as sudden changes in temperature could play an important role on race day.
FP3 saw two high-side crashes from Aleix Espargaro and Cal Crutchlow. The Ecstar Suzuki rider went down losing the front at Turn 1, while the CWM LCR Brit high-sided hard at Turn 3. Both riders are alright and have not sustained injuries.
The top ten was completed with Dani Pedrosa in the sixth position right after Smith, followed by Aleix Espargaro, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Iannone and Pol Espargaro. Maverick Vinales and Scott Redding go to Q1.