Misano Adriatico (Italy) (AFP)
Absent from the Top 10 of the three combined sessions, the French and the Italian will have to participate in the first part of the qualifications at 2.10 p.m.
Only the two fastest of this Q1 will then advance to the second part (Q2), during which the first places on the starting grid are played.
At the forefront with a time of 1 min 40 sec 384/1000 around the Italian circuit of Misano, the French Zarco is ahead of his Spanish teammate Jorge Martin by only 87/1000 and the Australian Jack Miller (Ducati) by 136/1000.
Surprisingly, given the results of the other Ducatis, Bagnaia only managed the 11th fastest time at 737/1000.
Quartararo, uncomfortable like the other Yamaha riders this season on a track made wet by a light rain but not really soggy, set him 15th in fastest time at 891/1000.
The 22-year-old has a first opportunity to win the title - the first for him and for France in the premier motorcycle speed category - at the end of this 16th round out of 18 this season.
Each victory is worth 25 points, so to cap the crown on Sunday, the Frenchman must keep at least 50 lengths ahead of Bagnaia, knowing he has a 52-unit mattress.
As a reminder, the Italian won ahead of Quartararo on the same circuit in September, in milder weather conditions, during the San Marino GP.
The Italian Valentino Rossi (Yamaha-SRT), based in Tavullia, about twenty minutes from the circuit, made his last appearance in front of his home crowd, before retiring at the end of the season.
The weather promises to be still rainy in the afternoon on Saturday, then dry for the race on Sunday.
Combined classification of the first three MotoGP free practice sessions of the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna on the Misano circuit (4.226 km):
1. Johann Zarco (FRA / Ducati-Pramac) 1: 40.384
2. Jorge Martin (ESP / Ducati-Pramac) at 0.087
3. Jack Miller (AUS / Ducati) 0.136
4. Miguel Oliveira (POR / KTM) 0.448
5. Marc Marquez (ESP / Honda) 0.471
6. Pol Espargaro (ESP / Honda) 0.541
7. Franco Morbidelli (ITA / Yamaha-SRT) 0.558
8. Aleix Espargaro (ESP / Aprilia) 0.580
9. Danilo Petrucci (ITA / KTM-Tech3) 0.583
10. Luca Marini (ITA / Ducati-Avintia) 0.601
11. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA / Ducati) 0.737
...
15. Fabio Quartararo (FRA / Yamaha) 0.891
23. Valentino Rossi (ITA / Yamaha-SRT) 2.217
Editor's note: the drivers having achieved the ten best times of the first three free practice sessions participate directly in the second qualifying session (Q2), which determines the first twelve places on the starting grid.
The others must participate in a preliminary qualifying session (Q1) of which the two fastest are drafted for Q2.
© 2021 AFP