Iván Ortolá will start from pole position for the first time in the Moto3 World Championship. The Spanish rider dominated Saturday’s qualifying session in Barcelona, where the lap record set in the morning practice remained unbeaten.
The Q1 session was thrilling and fiercely contested until the end. Matteo Bertelle (Kopron Rivacold Snipers/Honda) topped the timesheets, edging out David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports/KTM) by 0,107s. Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse/Honda) secured third place with his last lap.
Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull GasGas Tech3) also made it into Q2 by finishing fourth, 0,261s ahead of fifth-placed Scott Ogden (MLav Racing/Honda).
In Q2, some riders only posted times later in the session. After seven minutes, Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GasGas Tech3) led, followed by Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets-MSi/KTM). Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) then set the fastest time with his first flying lap, seven minutes from the end.
David Alonso (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar) faced difficulties as his first two flying laps were annulled. When he finally recorded a valid time, he placed second, 0,210s behind Veijer.
Following the usual mid-session pit stops, the riders returned to the track for the final minutes, and the leaderboard changed dramatically. Ortolá (MT Helmets-MSi/KTM) secured the pole position, beating Veijer by a mere 19 milliseconds.
José Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finished third, with Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) surprising in fourth, ahead of Yamanaka. Alonso, affected by yellow flags, ended up sixth. Championship leader Holgado will start ninth after causing the crash that led to the yellow flags.
