Moto3 Portugal Qualifying: Andrea Migno at the top!

After rain and wet patches affected their two practice sessions on Friday, thehe riders in the Moto3 category met this Saturday under sunny skies, for FP3 of the Portuguese GP: a session of great importance, since it was a question of moving directly into Q2. It was still necessary to finish among the first 14. The drivers quickly improved their times on Friday, but as usual, it all came down to the attack against the clock in the final minutes of the session. After Niccolò Antonelli (KTM, Reale Avintia, #23) led a good part of the session, it was his compatriot Andrea Migno (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team, #16) who finally won the bet, going from 12th to first place during his last lap. It has retrograded Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2) in second place, while Red Bull KTM teammates Ajo, Jaume Masia and Pedro Acosta finished this FP3 in third and fourth positions.

Darryn binder (KTM, Petronas Sprinta Racing, #40) is in fifth place, a tenth and a half slower than the leader. Jeremy Alcove (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #52) finished sixth in the morning and joins Q2, although a start from the pitlane awaits the Spaniard after his feud with John mcphee (Honda, Petronas Sprinta Racing, #17) at Losail. Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) found a solution to climb to seventh position, while the first leader Nicolò Antonelli (KTM, Reale Avintia, #23) falls to eighth place. Tatsuki suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse, #24) managed to maintain ninth place despite a fall on his last flying lap at turn 8, while Sergio Garcia (GasGas, Aspar Team Moto3, #11) completes the top ten.

The remaining places in the top14, synonymous with direct qualifications in Q2, are allocated to the rookie Xavier Artigas (Honda, Leopard Racing, #43), at Deniz Öncü (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #53), at John McPhee (Honda, Petronas Sprinta Racing, #17) and Filip Salac (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team, #12).

Here is the table which refreshes our memory before starting the qualifying sessions of the Portuguese Grand Prix:

Moto3™ Portimao	2020	2021
FP1	1'48.896 Jaume Masia	1'56.978 Deniz Oncü
FP2	1'47.987 Albert Arenas	1'49.358 Gabriel Rodrigo
FP3	1'47.398 Jaume Masia	1'48.214 Andrea Migno
Q1	1'47.635 Darryn Binder	1'48.845 Romano Fenati
Q2	1'48.051 Raul Fernandez	1'47.423 Andrea Migno
Warm Up	1'48.582 Jaume Masia
Course	Fernandez, Foggia, Alcoba
All time lap record	1'47.398 Jaume Masia

At the start of the afternoon, the air temperature was 25°C and that of the track 38°C.

Places are expensive for Q2, because only 4 of the 16 drivers participating in this Q1 will qualify for this 2nd qualifying session, which will take place immediately afterwards. This does not prevent the drivers from taking their time before setting off as a group.

After the first flying lap, the provisional top4 is made up of Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #71), with a time of 1'48.980, followed by Adrian Fernandez (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #31), Filip Salac (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team, #12) and Yukii Kuni (Honda, Honda Team Asia, #92).

For the moment, Riccardo rossi (KTM, BOE Owlride, #54), Roman Fenati (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #55) and Stefano Nepa (KTM, BOE Owlride, #82) remained in the pits. These 3 drivers chose to do only one run, delayed from the others. Will the strategy pay off?

At the end of the first run, Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #71) still leads, without having improved, in front Adrian Fernandez (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #31), Andi Farid Izdihar (Honda, Honda Team Asia, #19) and Filip Salac (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team, #12).

Roman Fenati (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #55) climbed to second place with a 1'49.096, 116 thousandths behind the Tech3 driver, and improved his time to 1'48.845 immediately afterwards. He relegates Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #71) in second place.

Kaito Toba (KTM, CIP-Green Power, #27) crashed at turn 5 without gravity, he will not progress to Q2.

The Italian driver's strategy paid off, as he remained in the lead in Q1. The top4 of this qualifying session is completed by Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #71), Filip Salac (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team, #12) and Adrian Fernandez (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #31). These 4 pilots are held within 300 thousandths of a second.

Lorenzo Fellon (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse, #20) will start last in this Portuguese GP.

Now for Q2, the 4 fastest drivers from Q1 joining the other 14 fastest from the 3 practice sessions.

The Leopard Racing drivers, Dennis Foggia et Xavier Artigas, set off first. At the end of the first round, Jeremy Alcove (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #52) leads the way in 1'48.153, ahead Sergio Garcia (GasGas, Aspar Team Moto3, #11) and John mcphee (Honda, Petronas Sprinta Racing, #17). The first 10 drivers are held in less than a second, nothing is decided for the moment!

At the end of the first run, there is a little more than 5 minutes left in this Q2: Andrea Migno (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team, #16) takes control in 1'47.883, ahead gabriel rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2) and Jeremy Alcove (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #52), which will start from the pitlane this Sunday.

With just over 2 minutes left before the checkered flag is presented, the riders in the Moto3 category set off together for their final flying lap.

In the classic game of cat and mouse, it's Andrea Migno (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team, #16) who is doing the best and will start in pole position tomorrow. The first line is completed with Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) and Jeremy Alcove (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #52). The latter being penalized, it is Sergio Garcia (GasGas, Aspar Team Moto3, #11) who will be on the front row tomorrow.

Filip Salac (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team, #12) and gabriel rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2) got stuck in turn 3 and did not improve their time.

Ranking of the Q1 session of the Portuguese Moto3 Grand Prix:

Ranking of the Q2 session of the Portuguese Moto3 Grand Prix:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com