Mixed conditions at Phillip Island made for a tricky Saturday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, who for the first time in 2026 will not have any riders in the Top 10 on the starting grid.

Following three consecutive sessions where both riders qualified on the front two rows, Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 faced their most demanding Qualifying session of the year in Australia, with Alvaro Carpe finishing 12th and Brian Uriarte 14th. Although Q2 took place on a dry track, the very cold temperatures at Phillip Island made things difficult.

As forecast, Saturday began with conditions completely different from those on Friday; the track was entirely wet following an overnight downpour, with rain still falling. Track temperature was at 18°C and humidity at 91% for FP2.

From the start, Uriarte demonstrated his talent in the wet, improving his lap times consistently and leading for 90% of the session. He remained in the Top 2 throughout, employing a single, uninterrupted run. Unfortunately, with a few minutes left on the clock, the Spaniard suffered a violent highside on the entry to Turn 2, which ended his session prematurely. He escaped unharmed, and finished in second place with a time of 1:43.411 after completing a total of twelve laps. Carpe took a more cautious approach, lacking the confidence of his teammate and opting for a slow but steady progression. He maintained this pace over his 16 laps, starting outside the Top 20 and eventually finishing in tenth place. His time of 1:45.393 left him some way off the frontrunners. 

During Qualifying, the track surface was essentially dry, though conditions were much colder than on Friday -with a track temperature of just 24°C and 84% humidity. Midway through the session, the rain flag was displayed, introducing doubt and uncertainty for the Moto3 field.

Carpe spent his first run alternating between riding solo and following other riders, managing to climb to a provisional fifth place before heading into the pits for a tyre change. Lacking a clear reference in the final laps, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider narrowly avoided a crash entering Turn 4; he ran wide, leaving him with only one final attempt to improve his position. He was unable to put together a strong final lap, forcing him to rely on the time set during his first run. Ultimately, after completing eight laps, he finished 12th with a best lap time of 1:35.921. Uriarte positioned himself behind Quiles during his first run to use him as a reference. Through consistent effort and determination, he also completed some laps on his own, moving up to sixth place before the final, decisive stage of the session. From this point on, the scenario was similar to that of his teammate; lacking sufficient reference points to clock competitive laps, the rookie had to rely on the 1:35.997 time he set on his third attempt, ultimately qualifying 14th on the starting grid after completing eight laps.

After not an easy Saturday, with mixed conditions on track, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders will start from the fourth and fifth rows of the grid for the 21-lap Australian Moto3 Grand Prix, which takes place this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. (local time) at Phillip Island. Uriarte could potentially secure the Rookie of the Year honour with a good result.

Qualifying Results
1. Veda Pratama (Honda) | 1:35.299
2. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 1:35.320 (+0.021)
3. Joel Kelso (Honda) | 1:35.366 (+0.067)
4. Joel Esteban (KTM) | 1:35.376 (+0.077)
5. Eddie O’Shea (Honda) | 1:35.447 (+0.148)
12. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:35.921 (+0.622)
14. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:35.997 (+0.698)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It’s been a good day, although our final result isn’t what we had hoped for, given the dry conditions. After how yesterday went, I was aiming for a strong grid position today -but that’s racing, and we have to adapt to the situation at hand. It’s highly likely that tomorrow’s race will take place in wet conditions; while that’s not the ideal scenario for us, these are things beyond our control. Now it’s time to fine-tune some details and get some rest so that, come tomorrow, our focus is at its absolute peak -because in races like this, even the slightest mistake is unforgiving for you.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“This morning I felt very strong in wet conditions. Luckily, the crash was nothing more than a scare. It was a small mistake on my part: I entered the apex of the corner too fast, and with the track surface being so tricky, I couldn’t save it. Later in the afternoon, our qualifying session didn’t go as well as it could have, as the track conditions were tricky and the lap times were very close. We’ll need to get a good start tomorrow and try to enjoy the race, regardless of the circumstances. It looks like it will be a wet race, so we’ll aim to get our best performance and hopefully provide a great show.”