Jaume Masia and Pedro Acosta go into Q2 for the third consecutive weekend and will start from the third and fourth row of the grid, respectively, in Portimao.

Qualifying at Portimao this Saturday established the grid for the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders were among the fastest competitors. With both having made their way directly into Q2, Jaume Masia placed 11th – but tomorrow will start from 9th position, on the third row of the grid, due to a penalty dealt out to two rivals. Pedro Acosta was 12th, moving up to 10th, on Row 4, place after the sanctions were enforced.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 pair enjoyed optimal weather conditions in FP3. After rain had reduced their track time yesterday, both made the most of the 40-minute session to setup their KTM bikes, completing 16 laps each. Masia finished third with a personal best of 1:48.321, one tenth off the top spot. Just behind him was Acosta, in fourth thanks to a 1:48.334.

Thanks to their results from the morning, both riders went directly into Q2. In that session, Masia was 11th on the timesheets through a 1:48.622 lap, and Acosta 12th with his 1:48.711. Both move up two places on the grid due to the sanctions handed out to other Moto3 riders and will occupy spots on the third and fourth row, respectively.

The 21-lap Moto3 Portuguese Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday at 11:20 AM local time.

Results (Qualifying session)

1. Andrea Migno (Honda) 1:47.423
2. Dennis Foggia (Honda) 1:47.572 +0.149
3. Jeremy Alcoba (Honda) 1:47.702 +0.279
4. Sergio Garcia (GasGas) 1:47.900 +0.477
5. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) 1:47.909 +0.486
11. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:48.622 +1.199
12. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:48.711 +1.288

5 JAUME MASIA

“Today the weather conditions improved, and we were able to take advantage of our track time. Overall, it was a productive day. We have to continue working this afternoon, as we still have aspects to fix ahead of tomorrow. I can’t wait to start the Portuguese Grand Prix race, and once again we will do our best in it.”

37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“Today was a positive day, as we found a good setup for the bike with Sunday’s race in mind. In addition, we managed to go directly into Q2 once again. We have to keep working to try to improve our performances in qualifying. Nevertheless, I am happy because we feel ready for tomorrow.”