The rookie takes a ninth front-row start of the season, with Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 teammate Carpe qualifying fifth after another good Saturday for the team.

Saturday in Sepang was a successful one for Red Bull KTM Ajo, who took their 17th front-row start of the season. Brian Uriarte qualified second, only missing out on his fourth pole position of the year by less than a tenth of a second. It was also a strong day for Alvaro Carpe, who finished fourth in Free Practice 2 before claiming fifth place in the afternoon’s qualifying session.

Under clear skies, the Moto3 class took to the track for Free Practice 2 with the asphalt completely dry and a track temperature of 31°C. The riders were able to shave half a second off their lap times from Friday.

Carpe maintained the consistency he had previously shown on Friday, remaining at the front from the outset and leading various groups throughout the session. He was the fastest rider for a large part of the session, only dropping down to fourth in the final stages. He clocked a 2:11.322, which was 2 tenths of a second faster than his best time from Friday, though still a full second off his personal best from 2025. The Spaniard completed 14 laps. Uriarte once again chose to work alone, staying out on track for the entire session without returning to the pits. Consistently running within the Top 10, the rookie set a 2:11.564 early in the session. Finishing just half a second off the top spot in ninth place, he -like his teammate- improved upon his best lap from Friday by several tenths, yet he remained some distance away from the fastest times recorded last season.

Conditions for qualifying saw track temperature reaching 48°C at the hot and humid Sepang International Circuit.

Uriarte, who sat in second place before his tyre change, headed back out with some fast riders to follow ahead of him. This allowed him to improve his time on his penultimate flying lap from six in total, clocking a 2:10.480. It put him second on the grid, just 84 thousandths of a second off pole position and very close to his own personal best lap time at the Malaysian circuit. For Carpe, the second half of the session was somewhat unfortunate; he went from leading the way when he came in to change tyres, to finishing fifth on the grid. Without optimal references, he was unable to lower his time, having to settle for the 2:10.604 set on his second lap out of a total of five.

In conclusion, it was another excellent second day for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team at Sepang, which has once again secured places for both its riders on the first two rows of the grid for the Malaysian Moto3 Grand Prix. With extreme conditions that will be challenging the tyres until the end, Uriarte and Carpe will take part in Sunday’s 15-lap Moto3 Malaysian Grand Prix, which is set to begin at 12:00 p.m. (local time).

Qualifying Results
1. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 2:10.396
2. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:10.480 (+0.084)
3. Hakim Danish (KTM) | 2:10.529 (+0.133)
4. David Almansa (KTM) | 2:10.571 (+0.175)
5. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:10.604 (+0.208)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“Everything went very well today. In the morning, we ran a simulation for tomorrow’s race and showed a good pace. I’m happy with the work we’ve done in that regard, and we’ve identified a few specific details to fine-tune for tomorrow, so I’m feeling confident. In the afternoon, we managed to put together a solid lap, which puts us fifth on the grid. It’s not a bad result, though it wasn’t perfect. I’m convinced we could have squeezed a bit more out of my lap. Regardless, we’re on the second row, which is more than enough to get a clean start. We’re ready to fight until the very end.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“I’m very happy with my qualifying result. In Q2, we found something extra that gave us more confidence. Up until that point, I felt like we were missing something, especially in terms of tomorrow’s race, but we managed to turn things around, which is what matters. Honestly, after this afternoon’s session, I feel very fast and believe I’m in a position to fight for the win tomorrow. I feel comfortable, the work has been good, and our motivation is at its fullest. Now, it’s just a matter of fine-tuning a few details and shifting our focus to Sunday, which is sure to be a tough day, given the heat and humidity.”