The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider will start from fifth in a Grand Prix where his teammate Marco Morelli will begin the race from the fifth row
Máximo Quiles finished half a second off pole position at the San Marino Grand Prix, on a day when he was only able to complete seven laps in dry conditions. The rider from Murcia will start from the second row of the grid, behind two of his main title rivals: David Almansa, who secured his sixth pole of the season, and Brian Uriarte, who finished second, just 27 thousandths off his compatriot. Almansa—the dominant force on Saturdays this year—will start from pole for the second consecutive race after clocking a 1:40.612, a time that still left him nearly half a second off the track record held by CFMOTO Aspar Team rider David Alonso since 2024.
CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider Máximo Quiles stayed in the garage during yesterday’s first free practice session due to the wet track conditions, but today he had to head out on track despite the conditions remaining unchanged. After completing nearly ten laps that yielded little useful data, the team decided to end the session early and focus on the afternoon’s qualifying session. In that session, the Moto3 World Championship leader managed to qualify fifth, half a second off pole—a result that does not worry Quiles given the uncertainty surrounding the race: no rider has been able to complete a race simulation at Misano, as both free practice sessions took place on a wet track, whereas the forecast predicts dry conditions for the race itself. Marco Morelli was unable to match the times he set yesterday afternoon during a session where he believes he made a mistake: pitting to change tires late in the session instead of staying out on track. The Argentine rider thus lost the chance to complete another lap—one where he believes he could have shaved off three or four tenths, which would have put him four or five places ahead of his final position of fourteenth.
5th Máximo Quiles 1:41.127 (+0.515): “We didn’t have much time to stop mid-session and change tyres, so I preferred to complete the whole session and focus on race prep. We didn’t do many laps, but they were very positive for gathering data for tomorrow. I felt ready, which is what matters. I always struggle a bit at this circuit; my riding doesn’t feel natural and things don’t go quite the way I’d like, but we have good pace and can fight for the win. Almansa is very strong, but we’ll reel him in, so he doesn’t pull away. It’s sure to be a great race tomorrow; there are a lot of strong riders.”
14th Marco Morelli 1:41.966 (+1.354): “Tomorrow I’ll have to fight my way up the field. I know I can do it, and I’m not worried. I’m just annoyed because I think coming in to change tyres late in the practice session was a mistake; had I stayed out on track, I think I could have improved three or four tenths. I rode solo for the entire session—which isn’t a problem on this layout—but all weekend I’ve struggled to find speed right from the start and have had to build up my pace gradually.”
