The first night of the Qatar Grand Prix proves challenging for Carpe and Uriarte, who finish 15th and 21st, respectively, in Practice.

 Friday for Red Bull KTM Ajo in Lusail saw the riders face contrasting track conditions on a tricky opening day of the Qatar Grand Prix.  Alvaro Carpe finished 15th and Brian Uriarte 21st in the Practice session, meaning both will have to go through Q1 on Saturday for the first time this 2026 season.

Very hot conditions greeted the riders for Free Practice 1 at the Lusail International Circuit, with track temperatures reaching 45°C, although humidity was significantly lower than what was experienced in Malaysia just a few days ago.

Uriarte opted for his customary approach when visiting a new circuit: Riding alone to focus on the track’s specific characteristics and learn the layout as quickly as possible. This proved challenging at Lusail, due to the long, wide nature of the circuit and the extensive main straight. Whilst he remained outside the Top 20 initially, Uriarte began to find his rhythm in the final 15 minutes, climbing to 10th place and running less than a second off the pace of the fastest rider. He then headed into the pits with just seven minutes remaining in FP1, heading back out shortly after. Improving his lap time once more on his final attempt, Uriarte clocked a 2:05.619, taking 14th position after 15 laps. Carpe put in 13 laps, and got off to a strong start, working within a group and consistently moving into the Top 10 as most riders improved their times during the first ten minutes of the session. After adjusting his setup for his second stint, he went back out with barely eight minutes remaining. Unfortunately, his feeling did not improve, and he was unable to lower his lap before the chequered flag, dropping to 17th place with a best time of 2:05.796.

Later in the evening, the Red Bull KTM Ajo pair took to the track under the night sky, with track temperatures dropping significantly to 35ºC and humidity rising from 39% to 66%.

Carpe started strong, initially moving into sixth and improving upon his morning marker by a full second. Despite slipping down the order, he managed to climb to third before the end of his first run, shaving another half-second off his previous lap time. After a pit stop, the Spaniard made an attempt to secure a spot in Q2, but whilst riding alone he was unable to put together a perfect lap, ultimately falling to 15th. His 2:04.267 was just 1 tenth of a second shy of a direct place in Q2, and puts him in Q1 for the fifth time this season. In total, Carpe completed 13 laps. Uriarte’s start was also positive, as he went nearly half a second faster than his morning effort from the get-go. With his first run complete, he found himself right on the edge of the Top 14, leaving him needing to improve in the final minutes. As the ‘Time Attack’ phase got underway, Uriarte chose to slot into a group; however, despite shaving another 3 tenths of a second off his time, it wasn’t enough to secure a spot in Q2. Consequently, for the fourth time this year, the rookie will have to go through Q1, having finished 21st with a best lap time of 2:04.679.

The results marks the first time in 20 Grands Prix that both riders from the team go into the opening qualifying session together. However, they have made it out of Q1 on each of the seven occasions in which they have entered it.

In conclusion, it was a busy Friday full of hard work and adjustments for Carpe and Uriarte, who were unable to find a perfect lap in Practice that was much colder than the first session held at midday. With the clear aim of securing a one-two qualification for Q2, the Spanish duo will be looking to take another step forward during Free Practice 2, which begins at 12:30 p.m., before heading into the qualifying sessions from 4:50 p.m.

Practice Results
1. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 2:03.172
2. David Almansa (KTM) | 2:03.372 (+0.200)
3. David Muñoz (KTM) | 2:03.443 (+0.271)
4. Hakim Danish (KTM) | 2:03.500 (+0.328)
5. Veda Pratama (Honda) | 2:03.561 (+0.389)
15. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:04.267 (+1.095)
21. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:04.679 (+1.507)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It certainly wasn’t our best Friday. However, after analysing everything with my team, we know the speed is there and that there’s room for improvement in many areas, so I’m looking forward to Saturday. We did a decent job running alone in preparation for Sunday, which gives us some positive takeaways. We’re motivated and eager to turn things around after how the weekend has started, so we’re heading into tomorrow with confidence. The first goal is to make it into Q2, and then we’ll aim to take a strong position on the grid”.

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“It’s been a positive day overall. We’ve gathered a lot of useful information for tomorrow and have several significant changes in mind, so I’m confident we can take another solid step forward. Friday could have gone better, but I’m convinced we’ll turn things around. Lusail is a new track for me, and it’s not an easy one to learn, so I just need to keep clocking up the kilometres to continue adapting. I’m really looking forward to continuing my work with the team; tomorrow, we’ll do more and I’m sure it will work out better”.