Moto3 Barcelona Warm-Up: Niccolò Antonelli warms up Barcelona, ​​Arenas in ambush

The track at the Circuit de Catalunya had warmed up before the first qualifying session of the day, but things only got serious in the final minutes of Q2, when the times raced wildly, breaking the record several times. of the turn. The battle in the lead was between Raul Fernandez (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo) et Tony Arbolino (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team), and it is the Italian who wins. What a great way to celebrate his new Moto2 contract with a great pole position and a new lap record. The Madrid driver fell at the last corner. Despite this high-speed highside, Fernández will start the race in second position, setting the exact same time as Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), qualified third.

Having managed to escape from Q1, Albert Arenas (KTM, Aspar Team Gaviota) looks set to defend his championship lead from the second row, which he shares with Jaume Masia (Honda, Leopard Racing) and his compatriot Niccolo Antonelli (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse). Filip Salac (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team) qualified on the third row ahead of Kaito Toba (Honda, Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Darryn binder (KTM, CIP-Green Power) – the best times of this trio being a second slower than pole.

The big absentee from Q2 was Ai Ogura (Honda, Honda Team Asia), the title contender who struggled to do better than 24th on the grid and will have to make a fantastic comeback in the race to maintain his second place in the Championship.

What will this Warm Up session, the final session on the track before the race, give you? Before answering this question, here is the table that refreshes our memory…

Catalunya-Barcelona Moto3	2019	2020
FP1	1'49.167 Alonso Lopez	1'48.853 Raúl Fernández
FP2	1'49.213 Lorenzo Dalla Porta	1′.49.134 Jaume Masia
FP3	1'48.433 Aron Canet	1'48.635 Tony Arbolino
Q1	1'48.970 Tatsuki Suzuki	1'48.894 Alonso Lopez
Q2	1'48.450 Gabriel Rodrigo	1'47.762 Tony Arbolino
Warm Up	1'49.134 Lorenzo Dalla Porta	1'49.715 Niccolò Antonelli
Course	Ramirez, Canet, Vietti
All time lap record	1'48.433 Aron Canet 2019	1'47.762 Tony Arbolino

 

As the drivers took to the track in bright sunshine, the air temperature was 12°C and the ground temperature was 13°C. The wind is relatively calm today.

The drivers are in no hurry to get on the track with the cool weather prevailing in Barcelona this morning. The game of cat and mouse began in the pits, where the drivers watched and waited before leaving in a pack. It seems that this morning, the drivers want to test the suction phenomenon on the long straight of the Montmelo circuit.

15 minutes from the checkered flag, the first flying lap started. The Warm-Up finally begins for the Moto3. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) is the first rider to set a fast lap in 1'50.242. Albert Arenas (KTM, Aspar Team Gaviota) and Jaume Masià (Honda, Leopard Racing) complete the top 3 in the first 10 minutes.

At 7 minutes from the end, it's actually Jaume Masia (Honda, Leopard Racing) which appears at the top of the timesheet.

5 minutes from the end of the session, Nicolò Antonelli (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse) leads the way in front Jaume Masia (Honda, Leopard Racing) and gabriel rodrigo (Honda, Kömmerling Gresini Moto3).

The leader will remain unchanged until the checkered flag: Niccolo Antonelli (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse) heats up Barcelona in 1'49.715, ahead Albert Arenas (KTM, Aspar Team Gaviota) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Kömmerling Gresini Moto3)

The session was relatively calm, and unlike yesterday, no falls were reported.

Warm-Up ranking for the Moto3 Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com