Fernandez on pole for the Moto3 Austria Grand Prix
Fresh from pole in Brno last weekend Raul Fernandez repeated the feat in qualifying for the Moto3 Grand Prix in Austria.
The Red Bull KTM rider had slotted onto the back of a big group on track to get the best slipsteam possible. Sitting in behind Riccardo Rossi the Spaniard pulled out a superb final lap of 1m 36.277s - the best of the weekend.
The final moments of the session were typical Moto3 after the strange finish to the Brno qualifying - a return to a flurry of fast final laps.
That saw championship leader Albert Arenas improve to second for the Aspar team on his penultimate run and John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) - who sat on pole in Austria last season - climb to third to complete the front row as top Honda rider as he took the chequered flag.
Leopard’s Jaume Masia found himself having to race Nico Antonelli on his final run, the Italian’s aggression a factor in his final lap fading to the fourth best time in the final sector.
Celestino Vietti had shown himself to be handy in the wet after topping FP3 but still ran well in the dry - his time will see him line up fifth. The number 13 was equally fast when running with Sky Racing VR46 teammate Andrea Migno or when solo on track.
Tatsuki Suzuki sat up after a scare in the group which contained Arenas and Vietti too, meaning the final lap wasn't their fastest - but his time remained good enough for sixth for SIC58 Squarda Corse.
Gabriel Rodrigo lines up seventh for Kommerling Gresini. The Argentinian sits ahead of Tony Arbolino, who came into qualifying on top after finishing first in the similar FP1 conditions. The Rivacold Snipers rider could only manage a lap good enough for eighth in qualifying.
Rossi may have been Fernandez’s target but he managed his first top ten qualifying in ninth after coming through Q1, the extra time on track a benefit aboard his BOE Skull Rider KTM bike.
Tenth went to another Q1 graduate, Deniz Oncu, for Red Bull KTM Tech3. He was the best of the rookie riders in qualifying.
Brno winner Dennis Foggia lines up in eleventh for Leopard on Sunday.
Kaito Toba was the only rider to crash in qualifying, his spill right at the end of Q2 leaves him down in 17th.
Austrian rider Maximilian Kofler starts his home grand prix from 26th on the grid for CIP Green Power.
Khairul Idham Pawi rode through the pain of his finger injury to finish Q1 in 14th for Petronas Sprinta Racing - which equates to 28th on the grid.
Romano Fenati won at Spielberg last year, but the Husqvarna didn’t seem well matched with the track and conditions at the Red Bull Ring, he is 30th on the grid -just ahead of his Sterilgarda Max Racing teammate, Alonso Lopez.
