Both Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders earn their places in Q2 after a good first day at Sachsenring.

Friday was a successful day at the Sachsenring for Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte. The two Red Bull KTM riders secured spots in Q2 and will fight for Pole Position at the German GP on Saturday. Carpe topped Free Practice 1 and was fifth in Practice, while Uriarte finished the day with eleventh.

There was fine weather for the start of the German Grand Prix, with temperatures cooler than in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands at recent rounds. Track temperature was 25°C for Free Practice 1.

Carpe began with a positive feeling, and he managed to climb into the Top 5 early. After a solid first run that kept him among the fastest riders throughout the session, the Spaniard headed to the pits to adjust some details for the final minutes of FP1. He then made another leap forward, taking the top spot with five minutes remaining and even improving his time once more. After 21 laps, Carpe topped the timesheets in FP1 for the fourth time this season, bringing his total to eight first places in Free Practice sessions. His time of 1:25.996 left him just five tenths of a second off his best lap from last year at Sachsenring. Uriarte had an excellent start, beginning the session among the Top 5. Less than ten minutes into the session, he had even taken the lead. After a good initial run alongside the Moto3 World Championship leader, he headed to the pits. When he reemerged, the Spaniard improved his time, achieving a 1:26.481 which ultimately placed him tenth. His 22 laps were more than any other rider in the class.

Later in the afternoon, the ambient temperature of 22°C and track temperature of 41°C created a warmer session in Practice.

Carpe worked alone for the first part of the session, focusing on improving his feeling on the bike and gathering data for Sunday’s race. Having settled into seventh place during his first run, he then went out for his Time Attack and clinched his place in Q2. With several improvements made in the final laps, the Spaniard comfortably settled into fifth place, with a best time of 1:25.967. He was just 1 tenth of a second off the pacesetter and accumulated 21 laps. Uriarte replicated his FP1 form, topping the timesheets on his third lap out and holding the position until the Time Attacks in the final ten minutes. His initial time was already more than 3 tenths of a second faster than his morning marker, demonstrating a solid step forward from Free Practice 1. After returning to the garage, the key moment of the session arrived, but he couldn’t lower his time any further on his second run, having to settle for his 1:26.110. The result put him 11th after 21 laps, securing his place in Q2.

All in all, it was a positive start for the Spanish duo from the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, who have shown not only speed but also good pace as they look to have a successful weekend on German surface. On Saturday, both riders will take part in Free Practice 2, starting at 08:40 a.m. (local time), and then Q2 from 1:10 p.m. with the clear goal of securing good positions on the grid.

Practice Results
1. Veda Pratama (Honda) | 1:25.848
2. Joel Esteban (KTM) | 1:25.856 (+0.008)
3. Eddie O’Shea (Honda) | 1:25.883 (+0.035)
4. Jesus Rios (Honda) | 1:25.904 (+0.056)
5. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:25.967 (+0.119)
11. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:26.110 (+0.262)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“The day went really well overall. From the very first thing this morning, I felt very comfortable, and we were able to improve our feeling throughout the two sessions. We tried out different things, and I think we found some interesting details, so tomorrow we’ll try to finalise the setup to be strong on Sunday. The work has been good; we feel fast and have a good pace to start building on, so we’re going to continue the same way to take another step forward tomorrow.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“I’m happy with this first day at Sachsenring. Today we managed to work on our own  quite a bit, which is what we’ve been struggling with the most at the start of this season. The fastest lap we set wasn’t bad, but it’s not perfect, and everything is very close at this circuit. Now we have to analyse the areas where we can be more precise and try to take another step forward tomorrow. It’s a very peculiar circuit, with many left-hand corners, so we have to be very mindful of tyre wear.”