The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider and teammate Masia complete the first two Free Practice sessions of the weekend and earn provisional places in Q2.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team return to the Red Bull Ring on Friday, for the opening day of the Austrian Grand Prix. Pedro Acosta was very competitive and fast when riding in the dry, finishing third on the combined timesheets for the day. Jaume Masia was 13th despite missing part of the FP2. With these results, both earned provisional positions in Q2 tomorrow.

Moto3 duo enjoyed optimal weather conditions in FP1, and both were able to get the most out of the first session of the day. Acosta was comfortable on track, leading the practice on several occasions. The Spaniard finished in third place with a time of 1:36.333, set on his last attempt out of a total of 18. He was just a tenth of a second behind the pacesetter. Just a further 0.4s behind was Masia, in 13th with a 1:36.709 from a total of 19 laps.

FP2 was affected by rain in the last third of the session, forcing the Moto3 competitors to return to the pits. Before the shower, Acosta had been able to confirm the good feelings he had in the morning and was one of the riders with the best pace. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie was second with a time of 1:36.809, 0.057s off the top spot. Acosta put in 12 laps of the Austrian track in the practice, whilst Masia rode 6. Masia placed 20th – 1:37.731 -, despite missing the first part of the practice due to a small issue.

Tomorrow morning the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo will have a final Free Practice in which to finish setting up their bikes. The Austrian Grand Prix grid will be decided in the afternoon in qualifying, with Q1 and Q2 scheduled for 12:35 PM and 1 PM CEST, respectively.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Darryn Binder (Honda) 1:36.215
2. Romano Fenati (Husqvarna) 1:36.320 +0.105
3. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.333 +0.118
4. Deniz Öncü (KTM) 1:36.399 +0.184
5. Izan Guevara (GasGas) 1:36.413 +0.198
13. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.709 +0.494

5 JAUME MASIA

“It was a bit of a tough day for us. In the afternoon we had a small issue that prevented us from going out at the beginning of FP2 and, when we finally did make it onto the track, it wasn’t long before the rain started, and we had to return to the pits. I hope that tomorrow we will have more stable conditions, and that we can continue working to take further steps forward.”

37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“The day went well. We focused on working alone and we showed that we have a good pace, riding at the top in both sessions. In general, the feeling was good. We have a great setup, so tomorrow we have the chance do a positive job – although in Moto3 you can never relax. As always, we will give our 100% to get a good spot in qualifying.”