Kömmerling Gresini Moto3’s Gabriel Rodrigo was in a class of his own in terms of lap time in Moto3™ FP3 at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, his 1:45.745 was 0.360 quicker than second place Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing), with the returning Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) impressing in third.
???????? @gabrirodrigo19 will lead the #Moto3 class into qualifying!
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) May 4, 2019
The @GresiniRacing rider is three tenths clear of the field after a chaotic end to FP3! ????#SpanishGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/jXNyswbgFH
Cloudy and cooler conditions were served to the lightweight class riders on Saturday morning at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, with plenty of movement on the combined standings coming in the final 20 minutes of the session as the riders slowly got themselves in the groove. Arenas was the first rider to make a change to P1 but that set off a chain reaction of riders improving until Rodrigo moved the goal posts with the first sub 1:46 lap of the weekend – and it’s a time that no one else could get near to as the automatic Q2 places were decided.
Sasaki grabbed P2 on his final lap, edging Arenas back to P3 by 0.001, with Friday’s quickest man Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) a further 0.004 back in fourth. FP1 leader John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) found himself outside the top 14 in the latter stages, but the Scotsman did well to find time to launch himself into the top five – 0.388 from Rodrigo.
It's starting to get busy out there! ????
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) May 4, 2019
Five minutes remain, 14 riders will advance to Q2! Time is ticking away! ⏱️#SpanishGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/sYlCrWIKAT
Despite a late crash at Turn 11, Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) is sixth on the times, the Spaniard sitting ahead of Czech rider Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP). Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) was a late mover in eighth, the Kazakhstan rider leads Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) and Stefano Nepa (Fundacion Andres Perez 77) in ninth and tenth respectively.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing), Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team), SKY Racing Team VR46’s Dennis Foggia and Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) complete the all-importing top 14.
That's a fast off for @TatsukiSuzuki24! ????
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) May 4, 2019
The Japanese rider is back on his feet and currently lies fifth, could he come under pressure? ????#SpanishGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/15i7B0h10D
Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) misses out on a top 14 place after a fast crash at Turn 7, with Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers), Meikon Kawakami (Fundacion Andres Perez 77) and Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) all went down – riders ok.
Tune into Moto3™ qualifying at 12:35 local time (GMT+2)!
Top 10 combined:
1. Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) – 1:45.745
2. Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 0.360
3. Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) + 0.361
4. Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) + 0.365
5. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 0.388
6. Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) + 0.426
7. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP) + 0.585
8. Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) + 0.594
9. Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) + 0.663
10. Stefano Nepa (Fundacion Andres Perez 77) + 0.691
Click here for the full results!