Qatar MotoGP Test: Miller turns the tables on Quartararo

At Ducati, Jack Miller stole the headlines once again.

Bengaluru/Doha, March 11: The third day of the official MotoGP Test at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar was an absolute scorcher with Ducati rider Jack Miller storming his way to a 1:53.183, finishing 0.080sec ahead of early pace setter Fabio Quartararo.

The all-time lap record at Losail fell first courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Quartararo, but late on Miller hit back to go even quicker.

Maverick Vinales made it two Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bikes inside the top three in P3, although a couple of tenths further back.

Broken lap records, impressive performances and new parts to try... 😯

Find out what happened on Day 3 of the #QatarTest ⬇️#MotoGP | 🎥https://t.co/ENCQX8wOfD
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 10, 2021

Thankfully for all the riders and teams, the second leg of the Qatar Test was greeted by the best weather conditions seen since the paddock landed in Doha.

The wind was not causing issues, the sun was shining before setting and the riders were raring to get going again after two days on the sidelines.

At Ducati, Miller stole the headlines once again but after seeing the factory riders testing the intriguing new Ducati aero, Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) was giving it a whirl earlier.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) ended Day 3 in P9 as the third fastest Desmosedici rider on track, putting in 51 laps as he ended the day 1.053s off Miller's time.

Petronas Yamaha SRT's Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi both finished outside the top 10 as the Italians ended the day 1.1 and 1.4sec adrift of the best time, respectively.

Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro's adaptation to the Honda continues to be seamless. The Spaniard was leading the way at midday and eventually snuck into the 1:53s on just his third day on the RC213V. The number 44 is already only half a second shy of Marc Marquez's official all-time lap record in Qatar.

The penultimate day of pre-season testing begins on Thursday (March 11) at 4.30pm local time (7pm IST).

The 2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship season opener -- Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar - will be held on March 28 under lights at Losail.

The Indian audience can catch the action live on Eurosport and Eurosport HD from the the qualifying race on the previous day. The same will also be streamed LIVE on discovery+.

(By a special arrangement with Dorna Sports)