Brian Uriarte secures seventh place in the afternoon session, with Alvaro Carpe ninth.

The Spanish Grand Prix got underway on Friday at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, with Brian Uriarte and Alvaro Carpe finishing inside the Top 10 on Day 1 of the weekend’s action.

Before the first European round of the season got underway, Friday began with overcast skies and a cold track. Conditions for FP1 saw 18°C track temperature and 80% humidity.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders were among the first out at Jerez. Carpe started calmly, gradually finding his pace. The Spaniard strung together an initial run of nine laps, setting his fastest time on the last of them to momentarily place in second position. After returning to the garage, he opted to work alone on his second stint, managing to improve his time immediately. In the final minutes, as his rivals improved, Carpe dropped to seventh position, but recovered with a final lap that put him in third with a time of 1:45.370. He put in a total of 16 laps.

Uriarte had a good start to the day, riding amongst the Top 5 on the timesheets at a track he knows very well from other series. Like his teammate, he also ran an initial 9-lap stint, improving his lap time on several occasions, and was in 11th before heading to the pits. Back on track after making adjustments to his bike alongside his team, in the final 10 minutes the Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie surprised everyone on his first flying lap, briefly moving into second place. However, as things tightened up in the final stages, other riders relegated him to ninth. Over the course of his 16 laps, the Spaniard posted a best time of 1:45.547, 7 tenths of a second off the top spot.

In the afternoon, track conditions improved substantially, although without sunshine. Track temperatures reached 24°C and humidity was at 69%, as the Moto3 riders came close to breaking the circuit record.

Uriarte was inside the Top 5 right from the beginning of Practice. The Spaniard, with a time of 1:45.074, improved on his morning lap straight away in the afternoon. However, in the final third of the session his rivals applied the squeeze, forcing him to push even harder to secure his place in Q2. He bettered his time to 1:44.504, finishing seventh, less than 4 tenths of a second off the fastest time of the session. He completed 17 laps.

Carpe put in three laps fewer and had a more mixed feeling during the afternoon session. He had started well in the morning, but in the afternoon had to fight hard to clinch his spot in Q2, after a first run that left him in 13th position. Following his pit stop, Carpe made a solid step forward, reaching the Top 10 with several solid laps and ultimately finishing in 9th position with a best time of 1:44.587.

In conclusion, it was a successful first day for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo, who comfortably secured direct qualification for Q2. Uriarte and Carpe will take part in the Free Practice 2 from 8:40 a.m. (local time) on Saturday, before Q2 for both of them at 1:10 p.m.

Practice Results
1. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 1:44.078
2. David Muñoz (KTM) | 1:44.119 (+0.041)
3. Valentin Perrone (KTM) | 1:44.325 (+0.247)
4. Matteo Bertelle (KTM) | 1:44.403 (+0.325)
5. David Almansa (KTM) | 1:44.457 (+0.379)
7. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:44.504 (+0.426)
9. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:44.587 (+0.509)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“We’ve finished the first day here very satisfied. Our position isn’t the best, but we’ve made a lot of progress with the team. It’s been a very productive day, in which we’ve found some details to work with for the rest of the weekend, so we’re looking forward to the second day here at Jerez. I feel good on the bike, we’re on the right track, and we’re eager to give our best performance in front of so many people who will be cheering us at our home Grand Prix.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“This was a good first day in Jerez, with two very productive sessions and a good feeling for us. We started the day well and we felt fast and comfortable. In the afternoon, things also flowed smoothly and we were able to safely get into Q2. Now it’s time to analyse what we can improve for tomorrow and try to take another step forward to achieve a good grid position. I’m definitely satisfied and eager to continue improving in front of our fans.”