Perfection was the order of the day for Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) as the 18-year-old led the charge on the opening day of his home Grand Prix. P1 across both FP1 and Practice, the 28 has firmly laid down the gauntlet to the opposition ahead of Saturday’s qualifying sessions at Jerez.
Leading for the majority of the session, Quiles left it until late to assert his authority on Practice with a final flying lap seeing him complete a Friday clean sweep. David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) had a stellar return to action after missing the last two rounds, taking second and briefly leading the way a few minutes before the end of the session. A Spanish 1-2, Argentinean star Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) got himself into the top three with an impressive lap, banishing any concerns he had after a difficult morning.
Behind the top three, it was a best Friday in more than a year for Matteo Bertelle (LEVELUP-MTA), with the Italian having been P2 in the morning before securing fourth and a Q2 spot in the afternoon. A welcome return for David Almansa (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) saw him round out the top five despite pain following on from his recent elbow fracture. Top Honda honours saw Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) in sixth place, just 0.405s adrift of Quiles in P1. There’s also a strong presence of full-time rookies in Q2, with Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P7, Adrian Cruces (CIP GreenPower) in P8, Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) in P10, Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in P11 and Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) in P12.
Outside of the top 14 and needing to go through Q1 for a chance at pole, the most recent new Grand Prix winner Guido Pini (Leopard Racing) is a big headline, along with Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia) and 2025 Spanish GP podium finisher Joel Kelso (GRYD – MLav Racing). Scott Ogden (CIP GreenPower) was a late crasher at Turn 9 but scraped through into Q2 in P14.
See the opening day results and make sure you come back for more Moto3 on Saturday as the grid gets decided in Jerez at 12:45 local time!
