With penalties coming to many of the riders in Moto3, it’s survival of the fittest as they fight for pole position.
Ahead of the qualifying sessions, it is clear that riders will be handed ride-through penalties at the end of the day due to behavior in the final free practice sessions.
There has been a change to the track for the safety of the riders. While the long straight that leads to the problematic turn 2 graces us with its presence, a new turn has been added in the middle of the straight so riders will have to slow down instead of carrying those high speeds.
Q1
The mixed conditions of yesterday have given away to the blazing hot heat of today. While that means the tires won’t have any problems warming up, riders do need to be careful about wearing them out too quickly.
Out of all the riders in the Q1, it’s odd to see the riders of Yuki Kunii and Andrea Migno. Kunii had a career best 8th in last week’s race. For the Honda Team Asia rider, he’ll want to get into Q2. Migno is a normally strong rider that can get himself into Q2 without much trouble.
With 11 minutes left, the BOE Owlride riders of Riccardo Rossi and Stefano Nepa head out for the first time, looking for an advantage to charge them into the next qualifying session. By waiting until the other riders went through there, they forced them to give the Owlride riders a tug. None of the riders could really afford to stop and let them through, which is quite brilliant.
As the first times come in, Cairlos Tatay tops the time sheets, followed by David Salvador, Andrea Migno and Lorenzo Fellon.
With five minutes left, Salvador, who is only on his second Moto3 start, is still holding a strong third. Nepa is in the final place, pushing Migno out of the top four.
At the exit of turn 3, Adrian Fernandez crashes out of the qualifying session. It’s a close call as the riders barely avoid hitting him.
Previous to the last flying lap, the Owlride riders are on a hot lap that was Q2 bound. But both ended up rolling out of those hot laps. While it seems like it is a big mistake on their part, both riders end up making their way into Q2.
The team that really suffered in Q1 is the Rivacold Snipers Team. Both Andrea Migno and Alberto Surra were unable to secure a spot in Q2, making it a horrible day for the team. Migno finished the session in 7th and Surra finished in 5th. The frustration was clear on the team manager’s face.
The riders who will go through to the next session are Riccardo Rossi, Carlos Tatay, Stefano Nepa and Kaito Toba.
Q2
RIght away, the KTM riders of Pedro Acosta and Jaume Masia head out, leading the pack into Q2. Both riders end up pulling back in, even before displaying a time. Knowing the results of the KTM’s pull, there isn’t much to worry about.
Out of all of the riders on the field, the Gresini Racing team riders are by far the most aggressive. But right as he is getting his bike going, Rodrigo gets a penalty.
Gabriel Rodrigo is given a penalty for irresponsible riding that left Yamanaka with a wrist injury. He will start from pitlane. While the penalty is still up, Rodrigo crashes out and takes Tatsuki Suzuki with him, ending both of their qualifying sessions.
Another rider that we haven’t spoken about in Austria is Jeremy Alcoba. It’s clear that the track doesn’t necessarily pair well with his aggressive fighting style. But the Austrian GP is a notoriously difficult track to race on.
Despite being taken out, Suzuki is still topping the time sheets. Following is Gabriel Rodrigo, Dennis Foggia and Ayumu Sasaki.
Taking a look at the world championship leader, Acosta had an incredibly impressive win against Sergio Garcia last week. Out of all of the things he has not won, a pole position is one of those things. Acosta does not usually do well in the qualifying session, he actually spent many of the earlier races fighting in Q1 and even staying there. With experience, he has been able to secure a spot in Q2 during the free practices.
As for the rider who finished behind him, Sergio Garcia is struggling. He was in last place for most of the session, barely getting himself up for 14th with two minutes remaining. While it’s always better to qualify high on the grid, when it comes to Moto3 it isn’t as vital as it is in the other levels.
Romano Fenati has taken pole position, followed by Tatsuki Suzuki and Jeremy Alcoba.
Who will take the win? Will it be another KTM, either Oncu or Acosta, or will a new star rise?
Tune in tomorrow to find out!
