The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team riders will start Sunday's race from seventh and ninth place on the starting grid

Joel Esteban and Máximo Quiles have overcome a difficult Saturday at Phillip Island. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team riders have worked hard to secure a good starting position for Sunday despite the changing conditions. Joel Esteban finished seventh, his best result on a Saturday in his World Championship career, while Máximo Quiles finished ninth. Australian Joel Kelso took pole position in front of the home crowd, ahead of José Antonio Rueda and Luca Lunetta, second and third respectively.     

With Q2 secured, this morning's session promised to be a good opportunity to make the final adjustments before the qualifying. However, the changing conditions at Phillip Island forced a modified work plan. Rain made an appearance in the final minutes, so Joel Esteban and Máximo Quiles barely had a chance to do any laps in dry conditions. The decisive test came in the afternoon, when both riders took to the track ready to set a good time in the first few minutes of qualifying. Esteban showed his best form and was among the top three with one of his first laps. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider achieved his best time of the weekend: a 1:34.563 that placed him in seventh place, half a second off pole position. This result is also his best position in a World Championship qualifying session. On the other hand, his teammate had to give his all in his debut at one of the fastest circuits on the calendar. The Moto3 rookie rode alone in search of a good time and was able to lap under 1:35 after crashing in the morning. Quiles set his best time on the second lap and will join Esteban on the third row of the grid, in ninth position.

7th Joel Esteban 1:34.563 (+0.507): “I'm very happy with today's work. In the morning, we decided to focus on race pace to understand tyre degradation and see what we can improve for Sunday. We did a good job, I felt comfortable and the pace was good. Qualifying is usually difficult for me, but I felt very strong on the bike. I managed to set a good time, although I could have made better use of the second tyre. It's my best result on a Saturday in the world championship. I'm better on Sundays, so I think we can take advantage of that if we get a good start.”

9th Máximo Quiles 1:34.703 (+0.647): “It was a difficult qualifying session. We only managed to do twelve laps in dry conditions during the weekend. I crashed this morning and at the end of free practice it started to rain. I hardly had any time to ride in dry conditions, but I got the most out of it. I managed to set a good time riding alone on an unfamiliar circuit. I couldn't get any references and the slipstream helps a lot here, but I'll take the positives.”