Day 1 at the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve in Moto3™ belonged to Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) as the Italian ousted compatriot and title contender Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) from top spot in FP2. Fenati’s 1:48.026 saw him beat Foggia by just 0.015s, as Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claimed P3 at the end of play on Friday.
???? @RomanoFenati ends the day on top!@dennisfoggia71 and @37_pedroacosta are both up inside the top four! ????#Moto3 | #AlgarveGP ???? pic.twitter.com/tJhBrRqNut
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) November 5, 2021
Times improve in FP2, Foggia and Acosta enjoy a good day
For a long time it looked like Foggia’s 1:48.296 in FP1 was going to remain the fastest time on the opening day of lightweight class action at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, but that all changed late in the afternoon session. Fenati was able to jump ahead of Foggia on his final lap to chalk up Day 1 honours, but there’s nothing in it between the Italians.
World Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) ended Day 1 in P4 after finishing FP1 in P6, signalling a good day for the Spaniard who has his second match point available this weekend. Both Foggia and Acosta look strong once more in the Algarve, and if Friday is anything to go by, Saturday and Sunday’s battle between the top two in the title race looks like it will be a belter.
The Rocket and The Rookie! ⚔️
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) November 5, 2021
Only two contenders remain for the lightweight class crown! ????#Moto3 | #AlgarveGP ???? pic.twitter.com/6T7UaDp1o1
The remaining top 10
Rounding out the top five is rookie Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), the Spaniard is 0.349s off top spot, with the experienced Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) picking up P6. CarXpert PrüstelGP’s Filip Salač, Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) and Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP) are the top 10 runners after the first two Free Practice sessions.
Will the times tumble once more in FP3, and will both Acosta and Foggia make it into Q2? Find out at 09:00 local time (GMT+0).
Top 10 combined:
1. Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) – 1:48.026
2. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) + 0.015
3. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.232
4. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.241
5. Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) + 0.349
6. Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) + 0.495
7. Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP) + 0.514
8. Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) + 0.671
9. Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) + 0.682
10. Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP) + 0.778