The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider was 0.064 off pole position and will start the Hungarian Grand Prix from second on the starting grid
The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team has put in a solid qualifying session at Balaton Park. Máximo Quiles was once again in contention for pole after breaking the track record this morning and fell just 0.064 seconds short of the mark. The Spaniard will start the Moto3 race from second on the grid, behind David Almansa, who was the only rider able to beat Quiles’ time and will start from pole tomorrow. Brian Uriarte finished third, six tenths behind Almansa. Marco Morelli was in contention for a front-row spot right up until the final moments and will start from seventh place tomorrow.
Máximo Quiles once again set the pace in this morning’s free practice. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider, who has thoroughly prepared for Sunday’s race in an attempt to repeat the result from 2025, maintained a strong pace and improved on his Friday times to set a new circuit record. In the afternoon qualifying session, Quiles tried to stick to his own pace, but the numerous crashes and the many riders trying to follow him prevented him from completing a perfect lap. Quiles held pole position right up until the final moments, when another rider pipped him by just 64 thousandths. Although the qualifying times were slower than those in the morning, his 1:45.750 was enough to secure second place on the starting grid. His team-mate Marco Morelli also ended the session with mixed feelings. The Argentine was in the top five of the standings until the final minutes, and even held a place among the top three alongside Quiles. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider tried to improve his time and stay in the top two rows of the grid. In the final part of the session, with time running out, he was overtaken by several riders and his 1:46.541 was enough to secure seventh place. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team riders head into Sunday’s race having done their homework and with a clear plan to round off this double-header on a high note.
2nd Máximo Quiles 1:45.750 (+0.064): “Pole position was very close, and tomorrow we’ll be starting from the front row again. I was a bit tense at the end of qualifying because I didn’t set the time I wanted. All the riders were behind me, which made me more nervous, and I made mistakes in two or three corners. I knew I could have given a bit more; qualifying doesn’t go so well and I need to learn to relax more, but the important thing is tomorrow’s race. Perhaps I shouldn’t have stopped to change tyres because I feel better on the used tyre; I’m left wondering. I hope the group is small tomorrow; we’ll see how the rest of the riders start and what pace they have. We’ll keep doing our job and I’ll go out there to give it my all to be up front.”
7th Marco Morelli 1:46.541 (+0.855): “I’m happy because we were struggling a bit today and I know I still have room for improvement, but we’ve secured seventh place for tomorrow and we’ve taken a step forward. I couldn’t quite get everything right as I wanted; the lap wasn’t the best and perhaps I could have shaved off another couple of tenths. Tomorrow I’ll try to latch onto the riders at the front. The top three have a bit more pace and I can learn a lot from them. That will be the most important thing because I think tomorrow there’ll be a very small group of three or four riders, so I’ll try to stay strong to be right there.”
