Maverick Vinales is helpless to prevent his MotoGP title dream being washed away b♉y th𒀰e Motegi rain.

𓄧That was the impression given by the young Spaniard after he dropped further down the order, to 14th on the grid, as Movistar Yamaha's wet weather phobia continued during final practice and qualifying at the Japanese MotoGP.

Already 28 points behind Honda's Marc M🐻arquez (and 12 from Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso), Vinales now seems destined to effectively drop out of the title chase barring a miraculous change in the weather or misfortune for his rivals on Sunday.

"We tried everything but, honestly, nothing helps," said Vinales. "It's the sam▨e problem during all year: The traction. I give my best. I cannot do anything more with the bike we have right now.

"For sure it's a shame because we are trying to win a title, but like this iღt's impossib𝕴le.

"It's difficult. For sure I feel [the title slipping away] every time I go on track and I've been tenth or eleventh while my opponents are in the first p🍌ositions.

"We have been struggling a lot this year in the wet. 🌸And I do many races fighting from eleventh on the grid, like at Assen and Sachsenring. So it's been difficult all year, especially when the conditions are not perfect."

Vina🌳les - who dominated winter testing after switching from Suzuki to Yamaha, but is wi🌠thout a victory since round five - added:

"I can't do anything in the rain. Whatever I do - riding smooth, riding aggressive, brakin🔯g late, early - the problem is the same one. The traction.

"I'm trying my best and the team is tryin🍒g their best. We are doing🌃 everything to make the bike work but it seems impossible. It's not only these two days, it's been all year we’ve been struggling in the same place.

"I don'ꦍt think we're going to solve it, but anywayꦉ we are going to try.

"We've changed the bi🥂ke up, down, shorter, longer and finally the problem is the same."

Team-mate Valentino 🧜Rossi had been just one place ahead of Vinales in Friday practice, before leaping to second in Saturday morning's FP3.

Vinales tried the same set-up changes in the afternoon but, like Rossi, found it didn't work in the dr🍒ying afternoon conditions.

"Valentino this morning went quite fast. I was quite surprised. They used a different set-up. But I tr🎐ied in the afternoon ♈and continued spinning," Vinales confirmed.

"In FP4 when I was behind some riders I saw, 'okay, this is impossible' - to do a lap time in the wet an🥃d even to fight with them. Because within a few laps already the tyre is gone.

"Let's 🌞see for tomorrow. We are going to hope for the best weather it can be and we will try for sure."

Meanwhile MotoGP rookie Johann Zarco will start on pole for the satellite 🅰Tech 3 Yamaha team.

Told that it was💜 strange to understand how the factory team is struggling so much more in the wet, Vinales q♌uipped: "Well, if it's strange for you, imagine for me!

ꦉ"I don’t know. Iꦬt's better I don't think [about it] try to do my work and take the best result.

"All I can do tomorrow is give my best, as alw🐼ays, and hope for better weather."

Mar💛quez will start from the front row, in third, with Dovizioso nint✱h on the grid.

Rossi qualified in twelfth after a slick-tyre gamble backfired in Qualifying 2, which🎉 Vinales did not participate in after failing to progress through Qualifying 1.

More rain is forecast for Sunday.