Jaume Masia qualifies on the third row of the grid, while Pedro Acosta will start from Row 9 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The grid for the seventh round of the 2021 Moto3 World Championship season was established at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Saturday, and whilst both of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s riders managed to lower their times on Friday, they would nevertheless have to contest Q1. Jaume Masia would make the cut for Q2, in which finished 9th, whilst Pedro Acosta did not make it out of the first qualifying session and will take off from 25th on Sunday.

Under bright sunshine and amidst ambient temperatures reaching 20ºC at the start of FP3, the pair made the most of the last Free Practice to up their pace from the previous day. Masia finished 14th after stopping the clock at 1:48.457 on his last attempt out of a total of 14, and was only 6 tenths of a second off the top spot. Acosta was 17th, from a best lap of 1:48.560 from 13 attempts.

Their final positions meant that both would be entered into Q1, a session in which they experienced mixed fortunes. Masia was third and made his way into Q2, where he placed 9th with a time of 1:48.500. The Spaniard will start the Catalan Grand Prix form the third row of the grid. Acosta, however, was 11th in Q1 and was left out of the final qualifying as a result, putting him on Row 9.

The 21-lap Moto3 Catalan GP takes place on Sunday at 11:20 AM local time.

Results (Qualifying session)
1. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) 1:47.597
2. Jeremy Alcoba (Honda) 1:47.914 +0.317
3. Niccolo Antonelli (KTM) 1:47.958 +0.361
4. Stefano Nepa (KTM) 1:48.295 +0.698
5. Izan Guevara (GasGas) 1:48.318 +0.721
9. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:48.500 +0.903
25. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:49.743 (Q1 Time)

5 JAUME MASIA

“It was a tough day. Even so, we made it through Saturday, despite the fact that the feeling wasn’t the best and we found it a little difficult. Now we have to focus on analysing the telemetry and seeing what we find. We have to pick up a little more speed. This afternoon we will work hard to enjoy tomorrow’s race.”

37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“The feeling today was good and I’m happy about that. We will begin from far back tomorrow, but we will give 100% so that the riders at the front don’t escape. Looking at races from previous years, I think there is the possibility of fighting back. The goal is to be in the front group as soon as possible, to avoid possible danger and be able to relax during the contest. The most important thing will be the start.”