Valencia (Spain) (AFP)

Italian Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha-SRT) set the fastest time in the 3rd practice session of the Valencia MotoGP Grand Prix, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, his teammate who is playing his last card for the world championship, being relegated to Q1 for qualifying.

The leader of the championship, the Spaniard Joan Mir (Suzuki), for his part obtained the 7th time.

The drivers having achieved the ten best times of the first three free practice sessions take part directly in the second qualifying session (Q2), which determines the first 12 places on the starting grid.

The others must participate in a preliminary qualifying session (Q1) of which the two fastest are drafted for Q2.

Quartararo only got 11th time in the end, two thousandths from 10th place, and will therefore have to fight in Q1 to hope to be able to start in the top twelve on the grid on Sunday.

This is the first time since the start of the season that he has to go through Q1.

He is currently 37 points behind in the championship over Mir with only two races remaining.

Mir's teammate and compatriot Alex Rins, currently third in the championship tied on points with Quartararo, clocked 15th and will also have to go through Q1.

Morbidelli, who races with a bike from last year and not the latest Yamaha evolution like the one driven by Quartararo, edged Australian Jack Miller (Ducati-Pramac) and Spaniard Pol Espargaro (KTM) in the combined standings of the three free practice sessions.

The other Frenchman engaged in MotoGP, Johann Zarco (Ducati-Avintia) was classified 4th.

Qualifying will start at 2:50 p.m. (13:50 GMT) with Q1, with Q2 starting at 3:15 p.m.

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Combined classification of the first three MotoGP free practice sessions of the Valencia Grand Prix on the Ricardo Tormo circuit (4,005 km) on Friday and Saturday:

1. Franco Morbidelli (ITA / Yamha-SRT): 1: 30.168 or 159.9 km / h average

2. Jack Miller (AUS / Ducati-Pramac) at 0.454

3. Pol Espargaro (ESP / KTM) at 0.468

4. Johann Zarco (FRA / Ducati-Avintia) at 0.490

5. Maverick Vinales (ESP / Yamaha) at 0.529

6. Takaaki Nakagami (JPN / Honda-LCR) at 0.545

7. Joan Mir (ESP / Suzuki) at 0.566

8. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA / Ducati-Pramac) at 0.574

9. Miguel Oliveira (POR / KTM-Tech3) at 0.681

10. Aleix Espargaro (ESP / Aprilia) at 0.697

11. Fabio Quartararo (FRA / Yamaha-SRT) at 0.699.

© 2020 AFP