Great Saturday for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, with Carpe fourth in Qualifying after both getting through Q1.

It was a near-perfect Saturday for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team in Qatar, with their riders securing third and fourth on the grid, respectively. Brian Uriarte, reaching the front row for the tenth time, will start behind the top two riders in the Moto3 World Championship standings, while Alvaro Carpe will line up just behind them, heading the second row.

The Moto3 riders began the day with hot conditions that were a stark contrast to the night-time sessions, as track temperatures reached 44°C at Lusail.

Uriarte started the session slightly better than on Friday, immediately placing himself within the Top 10 and staying close to the lap times he set during the Practice session. He then strung together a series of strong laps, moving into the Top 5 with 10 minutes remaining in FP2. He improved upon his best lap from Friday by nearly 9 tenths of a second as he worked alongside his teammate, showing a very solid pace heading into Qualifying. He ultimately finished fourth, having completed 12 laps, with a best time of 2:03.791. Carpe slotted in just behind his teammate on the timesheets, trailing by only a few thousandths of a second; he was already lapping significantly faster than he had on Friday morning, even having completed just two or three flying laps. With his teammate behind him, he spent the remainder of the session pushing on his own, repeatedly lowering his lap time until he broke into the 2:03s for the first time this weekend. Carpe finished sixth, with a best time of 2:03.894, after 14 laps.

During qualifying, as night fell over Lusail, track temperatures dropped significantly, reaching a low of 36ºC.

Uriarte moved into third place during his first run, clocking his best lap of the weekend. After a tyre change, he pushed again to further improve his time and secure his spot in Q2, with a 2:02.840. Over the course of six laps in total, he improved his time by nearly a second compared to FP2. Carpe had to wait until his second run to secure his place in Q2. Riding alone, he earned his spot on his only flying lap, posting a 2:03.365 which placed him third. He also put in six laps.

In Q2, Uriarte set himself up well within the pack, provisionally moving into fourth place. Following a tyre change, he was able to head out behind several rivals, using them as a reference to further lower his time. He reached third place with a 2:02.783 -his best lap of the weekend so far. Having completed five laps, he claimed his tenth front-row start of the year, and took 1.9 seconds off his best time from Friday. Carpe moved up to third place after his first flying lap, even improving upon his Q1 time. On his second run, the Spaniard tried to keep pace with the top riders in the class, but didn’t have time to complete another flying lap, which saw him drop to fourth place after his teammate improved his own lap. With a 2:02.904 -his personal best at Lusail- he secured a spot on the second row.

All in all, it was a successful Saturday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, which managed to turn the weekend around in Lusail after a difficult Friday. So much so that its two riders went from battling in Q1 to being podium contenders after starting from third and fourth on the grid. The 16-lap Moto3 Qatar Grand Prix takes place on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (local time), with Brian Uriarte having the chance to clinch the Rookie of the Year title after the race.

Qualifying Results
1. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 2:02.288
2. David Almansa (KTM) | 2:02.443 (+0.155)
3. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:02.783 (+0.495)
4. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:02.904 (+0.616)
5. David Muñoz (KTM) | 2:02.968 (+0.680)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“We are very pleased with the progress we’ve shown since yesterday and with our performance throughout the two qualifying sessions. In fact, we achieved more than we could have expected initially, so I’m feeling very confident heading into tomorrow, having demonstrated great speed during qualifying. This morning we focused on our race pace, and it went quite well, so tomorrow we’ll push as hard as we can to secure a strong result in Qatar.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“I’m really satisfied with today, especially because we were able to regain the confidence I couldn’t show yesterday. The team worked perfectly throughout, ensuring I felt increasingly comfortable, and we succeeded. I’m very happy with the result, and also with the team; they analysed every last detail so that we could turn the situation around today. Without a doubt, it’s been a good day, and we’re ready to put in a strong performance in tomorrow’s race.”