Lorenzo struggles as Vinales tops the time sheets

There are some partnerships that seem to be made for each other and then there are those that require both parties to put in quite some effort. This is one conclusion you could draw after the completion of the practice sessions for the opening round of the 2017 MotoGP season.
When Jorge Lorenzo ditched Yamaha for Ducati — a notoriously difficult machine — it did cause some raised eyebrows in the paddock. And then when Lorenzo had a tough time with the bike during testing, those expressions turned into frowns. And yesterday after the third free practice session, it wasn’t only Lorenzo who was left shaking his head in disappointment.
The winner of the 2016 Qatar MotoGP race, Lorenzo, failed to earn a direct entry into QP2. The Ducati rider finished in 11th place overall.  
The best times from the three practice sessions are considered to pick out the top 10 riders who gain direct qualification into QP2 – the second qualifying practice session. What that means is that the three-time MotoGP champion will have to take part in QP1, finish in the top 2 and then gain entry into QP2. That shouldn’t be an issue but this will still be a set back for the highly competitive Spaniard.  
Heavy rains had lashed the Losail International Circuit early morning yesterday and though the track had dried down, heavy winds and tiptoeing riders meant that FP3 didn’t see too many of the top riders improve their time as compared to FP1 & FP2.
This didn’t stop Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales from topping the time sheets once more. He further stamped his authority on the grid with another good run. His teammate Valentino Rossi, another rider who hasn’t adjusted to his machine well, endured another tough session and managed only a 13th place. But overall he managed to get the last spot for QP2. But it did involve quite a few nervous minutes when there were a few riders, including Lorenzo, who could have booted the Doctor out of QP2.
The surprise burst of speed came from Suzuki rider Andrea Iannone who produced a great lap to finish second in FP3 and also finish second overall. The Italian who had been struggling with the set-up will be happy with this final practice run.
Defending world champion Marc Marquez could only manage a sixth in FP3 but managed to finish third overall and will be pleased with that effort. The Spaniard will be hoping to convert that into a good grid position during qualifying today. His team-mate Dani Pedrosa could only manage to grab seventh position overall.
MotoGP rookie Johann Zarco (Tech3 Yamaha) produced a great run to finish third in FP3 which saw him take the fourth spot overall. Zarco’s teammate and another class rookie Jonas Folger also managed to put in a strong run to finish eighth overall.
Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso, who is one of the favourites for the title here, finished fourth in the third practice session and fifth overall.
Earlier in FP2, it was Pramac Ducati rider Scott Redding put on a great show to take top honours in that session. In second place was Ducati factory team rider Andre Dovizioso. In third place was Yamaha Tech3 rider Jonas Folger who has been putting in strong performances in the free practice sessions so far.
In fourth place was MotoGP class rookie Johann Zarco. Yamaha rider Vinales, who had been scorching the timing charts, had a rare off session and could only manage fifth. His team-mate Rossi was in fifth.
The other usual suspects were further lower down the order with Lorenzo in eighth place and Marquez in ninth. Suzuki’s Iannone wasn’t doing too great with a 15th place finish. And a further four places down was Honda rider Pedrosa.
With lots of rain having fallen in the morning, this session could be written off by riders as they were trying to test the limits of their bikes of the drying track.