A late flurry of fastest times saw John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) take Moto3™ Free Practice honours at the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve, as the British rider heads into qualifying 0.055s ahead of title-chasing Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing). McPhee’s 1:47.775 was good enough to beat third place Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) by 0.178s, World Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is safely into Q2.
Back to full fitness, and back up the front! ????@johnmcp17 sets the pace on Saturday morning! ????????????????????????????#Moto3 | #AlgarveGP ???? pic.twitter.com/JIc8iQ5vr4
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) November 6, 2021
No dramas so far for Foggia and Acosta
Earning automatic Q2 places would have been the prime objective for both of the title contenders so far this weekend, and it’s job done by both. Acosta slipped down the order as most of the riders – including himself – found time on Saturday morning, but the Spaniard will be happy enough with a P7. Meanwhile, only McPhee could find a way to go quicker than Foggia after Free Practice, with the man second in the Championship – once again – looking on song.
Who’s heading straight into Q2?
Friday pacesetter Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) was unable to improve his time in FP3, however, the Italian’s 1:48.026 was good enough to see him claim P4. Izan Guevara (MuchoNeumatico GASGAS Aspar Team) is fifth ahead of qualifying, and the Spaniard will be hoping to start as high up as possible as he faces a Long Lap Penalty in the race.
Formation flying! ????@37_pedroacosta dives past his @RedBull_KTM_Ajo team-mate @jaume_masia! ????#Moto3 | #AlgarveGP ???? pic.twitter.com/BqKcQrkm7p
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) November 6, 2021
Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP) picked up P6 ahead of Acosta, Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and MotoGP™-bound Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completed the fastest 10 riders. The returning Sergio Garcia (MuchoNeumatico GASGAS Aspar Team), Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) are the other automatic Q2 qualifiers.
Acosta vs Foggia – who will gain the advantage in qualifying? Tune into a huge Moto3™ battle for pole position at 12:35 local time (GMT+0).
Top 10 combined:
1. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) – 1:47.775
2. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) + 0.055
3. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) + 0.178
4. Izan Guevara (MuchoNeumatico GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.273
5. Filip Salac (CarXpert PrüstelGP) + 0.277
6. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.315
7. Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) + 0.397
8. Andrea Migno (Rivalcold Snipers Team) + 0.409
9. Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 0.453
10. Sergio Garcia (MuchoNeumatico GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.458