The Moto3 rookie leader achieves his first ever Pole Position on the last flying lap to put his teammate Rueda into the second place.

Alvaro Carpe took his first Pole Position in the Moto3 World Championship at the Italian Grand Prix, clocking the fastest time in Q2 at Mugello. Teammate Jose Antonio Rueda will start alongside him on the grid, in second place, after what was the second one-two in Qualifying for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 this season, following on from the British Grand Prix.

In FP2, the track temperature was some 6ºC cooler than in FP1, and the times from Friday were reduced within the space of just a few minutes by almost the entire Moto3 field.

Carpe was assertive from the start, taking the top spot almost immediately. He also lowered his time again on the following flying lap, then shaved another three-tenths off before the end of his Time Attack. His 1:55.562 was almost four-tenths faster than his best time from Friday. Without pitting, the rookie completed fifteen laps, and was 4th in the session. Rueda put in the same amount of laps as his teammate in the morning run, making them two of the most prolific riders in the session. The Moto3 World Championship leader was also among the fastest at the start of FP2. Riding on a clear track, he was followed by his closest rival in the series, Angel Piqueras, for almost fifteen minutes, taking both riders into the Top 4. In the final stretch, despite not focusing on a fast lap, Rueda achieved his best time on his final attempt, setting a time of 1:55.706 for 8th place.

Q2 took place under very hot conditions, and featured a battle between the two Red Bull KTM Ajo competitors. Rueda undertook his regular strategy and decided to lead the way, and the team employed a tactic that saw both riders close together.

Carpe twice took the top spot: First of all, using his teammate’s slipstream just before the pair headed to the pits, then snatching Pole Position from him in the closing moments, as he rounded Piqueras on the outside at Arrabbiata and went on to set a 1:54.733. He completed some 8 flying laps in his quest for Pole, and was eventually 8 tenths faster than his previous best time of the weekend. His Q2 showing earned him a first Moto3 Pole Position, a mere ten races into his fledgling Grand Prix career.

Rueda missed out to his teammate in the duel at Mugello, but put up a great fight as well as aiding Carpe’s quest for Pole. He was the rider who initially set the pace, and was also helped by his compatriot’s slipstream to take the top spot temporarily after the trip to the pits, becoming the first rider to go round in under 1:55. Like Carpe, he laid down 8 hot laps during the session, but whilst his 1:54.970 was 8 tenths quicker than anything he had set previously during the weekend, he still fell just 2 tenths short of Pole Position.

After securing their second double of 2025 in Q2, Carpe and Rueda are strong contenders for podium positions at Mugello. The pair will battle from the front row of the grid in the 17-lap Moto3 Italian Grand Prix, which takes place on Sunday at 11am local time.

Qualifying Results
1. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:54:733
2. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:54.970 (+0.237)
3. Scott Ogden (KTM) | 1:55.032 (+0.299)
4. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 1:55.407 (+0.674)
5. Jacob Roulstone (KTM) | 1:55.424 (+0.691)

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m very happy with the job that we did today. I’m very grateful to the entire team, and to my teammate as well, because we had a great strategy and everyone benefited from it. It’s not easy to get a first Pole Position here, so I want to congratulate Alvaro for it; he deserves it. Tomorrow is when we have the race, so we’re going to prepare as much as possible for it, as it won’t be easy. The effect of the slipstream is very noticeable on the home straight, so it’s likely to be a bit chaotic, and the group will be close together again, like in Aragon. We’ll have to be precise with our strategy to be strong on the final laps.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m very happy with what we achieved this Saturday. Qualifying was a bit crazy, but we were able to take our first Pole Position. We always have a clear strategy, and today we stuck to it as always. At the beginning, it was Rueda’s turn to push, then we pitted quickly and swapped roles. Some riders were able to follow us, but it turned out perfectly because he was able to get into the lead, and we didn’t have the whole group with us to hold us up. Luckily for me, I was able to set a great time on my last flying lap, and everything went perfectly.”