Máximo Quiles was the fastest in Moto3 this Friday (the 6th), at the Qatar Grand Prix, even after suffering a heavy fall during the first free practice. The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider posted a lap of 2:03.172 at the Lusail circuit and finished the night session in the lead, while Álvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte stayed outside the top 14 and will have to bid for Q1.
Quiles confirmed his performance by leading both sessions of the day, despite the scare caused by a highside at the end of TL1. The Spaniard managed to keep the advantage over his rivals in the following session, concluding Friday with roughly two-tenths of a second ahead of David Almansa, in second place.
The battle for the following positions was tighter. Almansa put the Intact GP bike in second, just 0.071 seconds ahead of teammate David Muñoz, who had also crashed in the first session but recovered to secure third place.
Hakim Danish finished in fourth, maintaining the strong form shown in his home round in Malaysia. Right behind him was Veda Pratama, fifth and also coming from a podium in Sepang.
Despite the positive result, Pratama will incur a six-position penalty on the starting grid for Sunday’s race. The punishment was applied because the Honda Team Asia rider disrespected yellow flags in TL1, committing the infringement for the second time in the 2026 season.
The balance also defined the fight for direct Q2 qualification. Less than a second separated Quiles from the 14 fastest, with Ryusei Yamanaka, the pole-sitter in Qatar in 2025, securing the last available spot.
Álvaro Carpe was immediately behind, in 15th place, and will need to go through Q1. The situation for his teammate at Red Bull KTM Ajo was even more troubled: Brian Uriarte finished only 21st, recording his worst Friday of the season so far.
Adrian Cruces, Ruche Moodley and Guido Pini are also among the riders who will need to chase one of the remaining spots for Q2 in Saturday’s standings.
With Quiles leading and two KTM Ajo representatives forced to contest Q1, one of the main focal points in defining the Qatar grid will be Carpe and Uriarte’s attempts to rebound, while the Friday leader will look to maintain the pace shown in Lusail.
