The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider remains one of the fastest in Moto3 and today set the second-fastest time, whilst Morelli will have to go through Q1
Máximo Quiles has once again started the weekend in fine form. From the very first session, the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider has been in the top three of the timesheets and this afternoon secured his place in Q2 of the Austrian Grand Prix after setting the second-fastest time. The Moto3 leader was only beaten by his main rival in recent races, David Almansa, who lapped almost two tenths faster than Quiles. Álvaro Carpe took third place, five tenths off the fastest time. Marco Morelli has not had a good start to the weekend in Austria and will have to compete in Q1 tomorrow after finishing in nineteenth position.
The free practice session that kicked off the weekend began in cold conditions, which made riding difficult and forced riders to run at times significantly slower than the track record. Máximo Quiles showed great form from the very first laps and finished in second place. In the afternoon session, the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider improved his time by more than one and a half seconds, although he fell just a few tenths short of the circuit record – which he himself set in 2025. Quiles tried to keep pace with Almansa and was the rider who came closest to the benchmark time. After 16 laps, his time of 1:39.863 put him in second. Marco Morelli faced a very challenging Friday at the Red Bull Ring. After not feeling comfortable in the morning session, the Argentine had to give it his all to secure a place amongst the top fourteen qualifiers. Despite lapping almost three seconds faster than in free practice, Morelli failed to achieve his goal of qualifying directly for Q2. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider fell four tenths short of the cut-off and finished in nineteenth place, meaning he will have to go through Q1 tomorrow.
2nd Máximo Quiles 1:39.863 (+0.195): “This circuit suits my style, and I like it much more than Misano. I always enjoy myself here right from the opening laps. There is still a lot of the weekend left; tomorrow will be an important day for continuing to gather data. It’s good to have a rival like Almansa because he keeps me from getting complacent and pushes me to give my all. He keeps me on my toes, which is a very positive thing. We are pushing each other to improve, and that really helps us elevate our riding. For my part, I’ll try to pull away, though it won’t be easy. These recent races have been great fun; we’re going to keep fighting, and I’m sure that if we keep working this way, the results will keep coming.”
19th Marco Morelli 1:40.900 (+1.232): “It was a difficult day. The first session really set us back because I barely got any track time; the feeling wasn’t good. In the afternoon, I had to try more things, but I managed to take a big step forward and significantly improve my lap time: I went from being three seconds off the fastest time this morning to just one second behind. We ran out of time a bit at the end, but I think there’s room for improvement so we can prepare well and try to make it into Q2 tomorrow.”
