As the field saved dry tires after washing out the FP2, improvements in the combined times – still led by Johann Zarco’s record lap of 1: 22.827 minutes from FP1 – were immediately visible.
Zarco set the initial individual timesheet benchmark with 1: 23.729 minutes, while Bagnaia, Ducati’s factory counterpart, was the first big climber to move up to fourth place for five minutes.
Martin improved to third place with a combined time of 1: 23.682 minutes and took the top spot from his Pramac Ducati team-mate Zarco in FP1.
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo improved the combined time to 1: 23.587 minutes in second after just under 10 minutes of the 45-minute session.
Quartararo would make the first real attack on Zarco’s overall best lap with just under 20 minutes remaining if the Yamaha rider put on fresh, soft rubber.
His initial effort of 1: 23.203 seconds brought him closer to Zarco’s lap record, with his second lap of 1: 22.975 minutes he was just 0.148 seconds behind the Pramac driver.
At the same time, Zarco was racing on used medium rubber, a luxury he afforded with his record lap in FP1.
The Frenchman’s best in FP1 would be unbeaten if he reached the checkered flag, Zarco himself third in the individual time table in FP3.
Bagnaia led the session with 1: 22.874 minutes, just 0.047 seconds behind Zarco’s overall best time, while Quartararo kept third place in the combined time and finished second in FP3 with 1: 22.968 minutes.
Honda’s Marc Marquez drove up to fourth place late in the combined time with 1: 23.132 minutes ahead of Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia. Jack Miller secured a direct place in Q2 as sixth of the Ducati factory team.
Reigning world champion Joan Mir, who struggled with braking problems on Friday, is currently the only Suzuki to go into Q2 later this afternoon after Suzuki teammate Alex Rins missed 11th place by 0.001 seconds.
The last drivers straight into Q2 are Takaaki Nakagami from LCR, KTM driver Brad Binder and the second factory Honda from Pol Espargaro.
The Styrian GP poleman and race winner Martin was on course to get into Q2 on his last flying lap, but the Pramac Ducati driver crashed on the last corner.
That put him in 13th place in the combined time and Q1, while the yellow flags for the fall put an end to Q2 hopes for people like Miguel Oliveira of KTM in 14th and Alex Marquez of LCR.
They will be joined in Q1 later that afternoon by the Avintia duo Luca Marini and Enea Bastianini – who had an early accident on Turn 1 – Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow from Petronas SRT and the Tech 3 KTMs from Iker Lecuona and Danilo Petrucci.
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