The rookie achieves his best Friday result in Moto3 to date. Alvaro Carpe will go through Q1 after suffering a crash at the start of Practice.

Friday at the Catalan Grand Prix featured an excellent start for Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Brian Uriarte. After finishing tenth in FP1, he achieved the second fastest time in the afternoon Practice session, in his best Friday result in the Moto3 World Championship. Teammate Alvaro Carpe was unable to advance to Q2, despite being third in the morning, due to a crash at the start of Practice.

The morning opened with cloudy and cold conditions in Barcelona, with an ambient temperature of just 13°C and 63% humidity. However, on track the start was very consistent for both Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders, with both running in the Top 10 from the outset.

Carpe rode alone during his first stint, improving his time lap after lap until he provisionally moved into third place. After returning to the pits, the Spaniard went back out to put in another very positive run, setting a time of 1:47.708 which kept him in third place, just 2 tenths of a second behind the fastest rider. In total, he completed 15 laps in FP1. Uriarte also worked alone, making a good impression on his first outing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. In provisional fourth position, he rode another stint as part of a group in the final minutes, but was unable to improve significantly, finishing in 10th place with a best time of 1:48.584 after 17 laps.

In the afternoon, the conditions remained largely unchanged, with grey skies and the threat of rain. There was a 15ºC ambient temperature and 57% track humidity.

Once again, Uriarte looked sharp, initially leading the way with a 1:47.826 -some 7 tenths faster than his morning time. After his pit stop, he changed tyres for the Time Attack, in which he further improved his time in the final minutes while riding completely alone. Uriarte placed second in Practice after completing 17 laps, for his best result to date on a Friday afternoon. Carpe suffered a minor crash on the entry to Turn 5, which affected the rest of the session for him. Running in sixth position at the time of the incident, the entire team -including the Moto2 mechanics-, worked to fix his bike, but they were unable to do so before time expired. Consequently, the Spaniard dropped to 18th position, meaning he will have to go through Q1 on Saturday. He put in just 4 laps, with the quickest a 1:48.117.

In conclusion, Friday ended on a positive note for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, although there is still work to be done ahead of tomorrow’s sessions. The team will fine-tune adjustments during Free Practice 2 on Saturday, which begins at 8:40 a.m. (local time). From there, Carpe will compete in Q1 at 12:45 p.m., while Uriarte will start in Q2 at 1:10 p.m.

Practice Results
1. Hakim Danish (KTM) | 1:46.943
2. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:47.042 (+0.099)
3. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) | 1:47.146 (+0.203)
4. David Almansa (KTM) | 1:47.362 (+0.419)
5. Valentin Perrone (KTM) | 1:47.501 (+0.558)
18. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:48.117 (+1.174)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“We’re really disappointed to have crashed at the start of Practice, as we had made a great start with FP1. Even with the tricky track conditions, we felt fast from the beginning, but we couldn’t finish it off in the afternoon. Of course, I’m a bit frustrated that we couldn’t fight for a place in Q2, but I know that if we improve what we need to improve tomorrow, things will work out. Now we must stay focused and keep confident that we can finish the job tomorrow and get a good grid position.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“We started well this morning, although I wasn’t able to do my last few laps completely clean. In the afternoon, things went much better and I felt very comfortable throughout. We worked on our own and things went well, so we’ll see how it goes tomorrow. It’s important to manage the tyres well here, so we have to keep that in mind when preparing for Sunday’s race. I know it’s just Practice, but it’s always nice to see yourself up there at the top.”