A good Friday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders is held in mixed conditions at Phillip Island.

Alvaro Carpe and Jose Antonio Rueda had a successful first day at Phillip Island on Friday, although they had to adjust to changeable conditions at the Australian GP venue. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders managed to secure their place in Q2 with a strong Practice session, as the rookie adapted to a new track and the new Moto3 World Champion kept up his perfect record of Q2 entries, being the only rider of all the categories to keep it clean.

In addition to the expected wind, the rain made an appearance early on Friday morning, leaving the track soaked for FP1. Temperatures were very different to those at the Indonesian GP a fortnight ago, at 14°C on track and with 76% humidity.

Rueda decided to take things easy during the session, allowing the first few minutes to pass so the rest of the riders could test the state of the track first. Nevertheless, the newly crowned Moto3 World Champion suffered his first scare amidst the very tricky track conditions early on. As several crashes occurred between Turns 4 and 10, the riders quickly realised the delicate nature of the asphalt and proceeded with extreme caution during the second half of the session. Rueda moved into the Top 10, then avoided taking any further risks. With 12 laps completed, he finished ninth with a time of 1:46.525, leaving him just two seconds off the top spot. Carpe had to deal with the worst-case scenario at a new circuit, and worked lap-by-lap with a cautious approach. As the minutes passed, he gradually improved his time, going up into 18th at the halfway point. His principal focus late on was putting in as many laps as possible, and he racked up 15 by the end. His best time of 1:48.181 was 3.7 seconds off the pacesetter, but left plenty of room for improvement for the rest of the weekend.

By the afternoon, conditions were much more positive for the Moto3 grid, as temperatures rose some 10ºC and the track was 12% less humid.

Carpe took a clear step forward, setting a good base time during the first half of Practice to climb into the Top 10, and demonstrating a great ability to adapt to the circuit and the track conditions. In the final stretch, with new tyres on, the Spaniard lowered his time on several occasions, which took him to third place with a 1:35.288. He was just 5 tenths off the leader -and quicker than the previous circuit record- after his first 18 laps of Phillip Island in dry conditions. Rueda once again confirmed his solidity and consistency by making it directly into Q2, and is the only rider in any class to have done that at all 19 Grands Prix contested in 2025. He worked alone throughout the session, which forced him to deal with strong gusts of wind -unlike many of his rivals, who constantly rode in slipstreams. Until the final third of the session, he found himself outside the Top 14, and was required to put in a strong Time Attack to secure his place in Q2. With several consecutive fastest laps over the course of his 18 in total, Rueda didn’t have to struggle to do that, ultimately finishing seventh with a best time of 1:35.460. It was almost two seconds quicker than his previous marker, and 7 tenths off first place.

All in all, it was a thrilling Friday for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, who are looking to clinch the team championship title this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix. On Saturday, Q2 for both riders starts at 1:10pm (local time). Before that, Moto3 Free Practice 2 takes place at 8:40am.

Practice Results
1. David Almansa (Honda) | 1:34.726
2. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) | 1:35.118 (+0.392)
3. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:35.288 (+0.562)
4. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 1:35.376 (+0.650)
5. Joel Kelso (KTM) | 1:35.409 (+0.683)
7. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:35.460 (+0.724)

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I was able to enjoy myself a little more here. Ultimately, winning the title in Indonesia makes things feel a little different this weekend, and with a little less pressure on me. After the morning rain, we had to work hard in the afternoon, but we achieved it, as always, alone. It’s true that the wind here is unforgiving and the race will almost certainly be ridden in a group, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to be as prepared as possible for both Qualifying and Sunday, so tomorrow we’ll try to take another solid step forward to continue on this positive path we established today.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“This morning’s conditions made it a little difficult for us to adapt to the track, but I enjoyed the session, so we have a positive feeling from our first taste of Phillip Island. By the afternoon, we felt quite good, and the circuit is spectacular. You get a sense of speed that I hadn’t noticed at any other circuit -in addition to the wind, which is very noticeable in different parts of the track. We have to keep adapting to it and improve further tomorrow. We’re satisfied so far.”