The World Championship leader is fastest in Practice, while Alvaro Carpe secures a spot in Q2 with seventh place.

An excellent Friday for Red Bull KTM Ajo saw Jose Antonio Rueda take first place in Practice for the Qatar Grand Prix. He was also third in FP1, earlier in the day. Alvaro Carpe adapted perfectly and earned a place in Q2 with seventh place.

The start to the weekend in Lusail was idyllic, with the track perfect for the morning FP1 session. Rueda delayed his exit from the pits slightly and, without rushing, waited for all his rivals to complete their first laps. The current Moto3 leader quickly moved into the lead, while working on his race pace. However, the final laps saw him drop to third. He completed a total of 15 laps, with a best time of 2:04.662. Carpe, as is customary in his first session at each new circuit this season, focused on getting to know every corner of Lusail over the thirteen laps he put down. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie finished 12th with a time of 2:05.648, just one second off the top spot.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team headed out for Practice under the floodlights at Lusail. From the start, both riders focused on long runs with Sunday’s race in mind. As the session progressed, both Rueda and Carpe secured their places in Q2. Rueda put in a great lap to lead the session and demonstrate his speed in Qatar. He posted a best time of 2:03.277, 2 tenths faster than his closest rivals. Carpe also closed the day on a positive note, fighting back at the end of Practice to finish seventh. He clocked a best lap of 2:04.070, knocking more than a second and a half off his morning time. He rode 13 laps, to his teammate’s 15.

Another successful Friday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team. After the good results in the two opening sessions, Rueda and Carpe want to fight for Pole Position and front row positions tomorrow. Both will take part in Q2 at 6:15 p.m. (local time) on Saturday. Before that, they will compete in FP2 starting at 1:30 p.m.

Practice Results
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:03.277
2. Ryusei Yamanaka (KTM) | 2:03.521 +0.244
3. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 2:03.591 +0.314
4. Dennis Foggia (CFMoto) | 2:03.625 +0.348
5. Riccardo Rossi (Honda) | 2:03.786 +0.509
7. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:04.070 +0.793

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I completed my first day at Lusail with positive feelings. The track was a bit dirty in the morning, but in the afternoon we were able to get a bit more feeling and focused on working on our race pace. In the end, we put in a very good lap to secure a place in Q2, so tomorrow we’ll keep pushing to try to be even more competitive and secure a good grid position.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m very happy with today, after making it directly into Q2. The feeling was very good, but the circuit is more difficult than I imagined. This morning was a bit difficult, and the heat made me feel a little fatigued. However, in the afternoon we improved both the setup and my riding, and the session went much better. Tomorrow we’ll try to continue learning to take another step forward.”