2021 Austin MotoGP, COTA - Free Practice (3) Results
Jack Miller steamrolls his rivals during a dry Free Practice 3 for the 2021 Americas MotoGP at a bumpy COTA.
The Ducati star finished 0.6s clear of Takaaki Nakagami, with Alex Rins third for Suzuki.
The top ten riders after FP3 (combined times) receive direct access to the final part of qualifying, with the likes of Rins' Suzuki team-mate and reigning world champion Joan Mir heading for Qualifying 1.
Marc Marquez, seeking a seventh COTA win this weekend, remained quickest courtesy of his Friday time until fellow Honda rider Nakagami fitted new soft tyres at the midway stage of FP3.
Miller, second to Marquez in both the wet and dry, then took charge of the timesheets ahead of the final ten minutes. But he wasn't finished yet and returned to blast a huge 0.8s clear in the final minutes, before Nakagami improved.
Aleix Espargaro, who yesterday said it's unsafe for MotoGP to race on such a bumpy track, fell on an out-lap in the closing stages and struggled to restart his Aprilia, leaving him 20th. Luca Marini and Alex Marquez were other fallers.
Marc Marquez has a perfect pole record at the Texan track and has won six of the seven MotoGP races, falling while leading in 2019.
Johann Zarco is riding for the first time since arm pump surgery, while Suzuki's reigning champion Joan Mir has a Kevin Schwantz-style helmet and racing number this weekend.
MotoGP is returning to COTA for the first time since the 2019 event, after which further resurfacing work was carried out on around 40% of the track (Turns 1-2, 9-10, 16-19, plus the back straight) to alleviate bumps. However, bikes and riders are still being badly kicked around, especially through Turns 2 and 10.
Wrestling his Ducati through Turn 10! @JohannZarco1 showing no adverse effects from his recent arm pump surgery! #AmericasGP pic.twitter.com/pFtVY4ZzP2
— MotoGP (@MotoGP) October 2, 2021
As a result of the resurfacing and change of date from April, Michelin is providing a fourth rear tyre option (two hard compounds), while wet weather is also forecast.
COTA has the most corners (20) in MotoGP, including the slowest of the season at just 50km/h (Turn 11). The following back straight is the longest in MotoGP at 1.2km and ends with the hardest braking on the calendar, from over 330km/h to less than 60km/h.
Maverick Vinales has withdrawn from the COTA event after the tragic death of his young cousin Dean Berta Vinales in last weekend's Jerez WorldSSP300 race….
| Austin MotoGP, COTA - Free Practice (3) Results | |||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max | |
| 1 | ^1 | Jack Miller | AUS | Ducati Team (GP21) | 2'02.923s | 15/16 | 348k |
| 2 | ^3 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.679s | 15/16 | 341k |
| 3 | ^6 | Alex Rins | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.804s | 16/17 | 341k |
| 4 | ˅3 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.881s | 15/17 | 345k |
| 5 | ^3 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP21) | +0.900s | 15/17 | 346k |
| 6 | ˅3 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.944s | 13/17 | 340k |
| 7 | ˅3 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.097s | 12/12 | 344k |
| 8 | ^3 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.117s | 15/15 | 342k |
| 9 | ˅3 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Team (GP21) | +1.202s | 14/15 | 347k |
| 10 | ˅3 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP21)* | +1.274s | 14/15 | 344k |
| 11 | ^7 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.337s | 16/16 | 343k |
| 12 | ˅2 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | +1.504s | 16/16 | 346k |
| 13 | = | Joan Mir | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +1.571s | 14/16 | 340k |
| 14 | ^1 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.587s | 14/16 | 339k |
| 15 | ^2 | Valentino Rossi | ITA | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.937s | 17/17 | 338k |
| 16 | ^5 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.967s | 13/14 | 340k |
| 17 | ˅3 | Andrea Dovizioso | ITA | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +2.387s | 15/15 | 335k |
| 18 | ˅2 | Alex Marquez | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +2.616s | 12/14 | 344k |
| 19 | = | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | +2.635s | 3/12 | 346k |
| 20 | ˅8 | Luca Marini | ITA | Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | +3.005s | 3/12 | 342k |
| 21 | ˅1 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +3.127s | 11/15 | 339k |
* Rookie
Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than FP2.
= Rider is same position as FP2.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than FP2.
| Riders directly to Qualifying 2 - Top 10 Combined Practice Times: | |||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team |
| 1 | Jack Miller | AUS | Ducati Team (GP21) |
| 2 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) |
| 3 | Alex Rins | ESP | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) |
| 4 | Marc Marquez | ESP | Repsol Honda (RC213V) |
| 5 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP21) |
| 6 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) |
| 7 | Pol Espargaro | ESP | Repsol Honda (RC213V) |
| 8 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) |
| 9 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Team (GP21) |
| 10 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP21)* |
Official COTA MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 2m 2.135s (2015)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 2m 3.375s (2014)
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
