The Colombian rider set the sixth fastest time of the day with Ryusei Yamanaka starting the season from seventeenth position

Ayumu Sasaki got the first pole position of the year after setting a time of 1:46.789, beating the track record set by Sergio Garcia last year by almost half a second. The Japanese rider, who had already shown a good pace yesterday, has been the only rider who could go under 1:47 and has showed why he is one of the main contenders for the Moto3 title. The top three positions will be completed by José Antonio Rueda, rookie in the category, and Joel Kelso, who will start from the front row for the first time.  

The Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team rider David Alonso will start from the second row of the grid tomorrow after qualifying directly to Q2 in the last free practice. The Colombian rider has stopped the clock at 1:47.519, a time that allows him to start tomorrow from the sixth position. Alonso was less than three tenths of a second off the front row and will fight for the front positions tomorrow. Ryusei Yamanaka will start the Portuguese Grand Prix from seventeenth position in his first race with the Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team. The Japanese rider couldn't set a good lap at the end of the session and will try to come back positions to fight for the points.

6th David Alonso 1:47.519 (+0.721): "Today was a good day. In the last free practice we could complete a very good lap which allowed us to go straight into Q2. It was our first qualifying session in the World Championship and we have managed to start from the second row, which is one of our main objectives for this Grand Prix. Moreover, the feeling was even better because I was riding on my own. This gives me more confidence for Sunday's race. Tomorrow we will see how the wind picks up and we will be ready to fight for the front positions.”

17th Ryusei Yamanaka 1:48.200 (+1.402): "I rode on used tyres at the beginning of the session to try to set the fastest lap with new tyres at the end of the qualifying. However, it wasn't possible because we didn't quite get the right strategy.”