Moto3: Fastest Fernandez: Pre-season work is showing

After topping Friday practice ahead of the 2020 Moto3 opener in Qatar, Raul Fernandez feels Red Bull KTM Ajo has proof the team’s tough pre-season testing efforts have come to the fore as both he and the team “are constantly moving forward”.

Fernandez notched up a 2m 04.577s in the closing stages of FP2 at the Losail International Circuit to claim top spot 0.121s clear of nearest challenger Darryn Binder, with Red Bull KTM Ajo team-mate Kaito Toba taking fifth place overall, to demonstrate a strong start for the whole team.

With an early advantage over his rivals, Fernandez knows he cannot stop improving in the fiercely competitive Moto3 class but is already confident in his Red Bull KTM Ajo package for the season-opener in Qatar.

“It’s been a very positive day,” Fernandez said. “All the work we did during the pre-season has shown.

“I’m very happy with how it went - not only for the time that we set, but especially for how I felt on the bike. Today we were competitive with both qualifying tyres and our race option; we are constantly moving forward and that is very important.

“Tomorrow we will have to stay focused and work with Sunday’s contest in mind. If we keep up the pace that we had today, we can ensure that we go straight into Q2.”

Toba, who claimed victory in the Qatar Moto3 race 12 months ago, is adjusting to life with the factory KTM squad having spent the past three years in the lightweight class competing for Honda Team Asia.

The Japanese rider feels he still has setup improvements to find to draw level with his timesheet-topping team-mate, but feels the 0.411s deficit over a single lap is within his grasp for this weekend.

“The first two free practice sessions were very positive,” Toba said. “I’m happy with the start of the Qatar Grand Prix, however we have to finish fine tuning some aspects.

“The important thing is that we have a good pace, even when riding alone. Tomorrow we will work hard in the last free practice, in order to be able to qualify well on the grid during the afternoon.”

Moto3 is playing a starring role alongside Moto2 this weekend with the MotoGP class out of action at the 2020 opener due to travel bans to Qatar amid the current coronavirus outbreak.