Fastest time and new lap record at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

· Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) will start from pole position in tomorrow’s Moto2™ race of the Grand Prix of Catalunya, on the sixth round of the World Championship. The Italian rider set the fastest time in qualifying while also establishing a new lap record for the intermediate class at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. His 1’41.076 lap was 0.473 faster than the previous record set last year by Daniel Holgado, and a further two tenths faster than the 1’41.288 registered by Manuel Gonzalez on this morning’s FP2 session. Vietti finished ahead of Dutch rider Collin Veijer (Kalex) and Gonzalez (Kalex), with all three riders using standard-range Pirelli soft SC1 front and SC0 rear compounds.

· In Moto3™, Argentina’s Valentin Perrone took home the first pole position of his career, ahead of Spanish riders David Muñoz and Brian Uriarte, all on KTMs. In a qualifying session where the top three were only 19 thousandths of a second apart, Perrone and Muñoz went for standard-range Pirelli medium SC2 front and soft SC1 rear compounds, while Uriarte opted for soft SC1 tyres on both axles.

· Cool temperatures. This weekend has proved to be quite unusual so far, with temperatures significantly lower than normally expected this time of the year. On Friday, track temperatures were as low as 13°C during the opening free practice sessions for both Moto3™ and Moto2™, before rising to 26°C in the afternoon (with air temperatures between 13°C and 16°C under mostly cloudy skies). While today, temperatures were slightly higher with qualifying being the warmest session so far, as track temperatures peaked at 38°C and air temperatures reached 20°C under clear skies.

All compounds play a central role
 
“Once again, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya proved to be very demanding on tyres, due to its highly abrasive asphalt, which generates greater wear than usual. With temperatures lower than average compared to previous editions, the track offered a good level of grip right from the opening sessions, while tyre behaviour has continued to improve alongside the natural circuit evolution, as confirmed by the new all-time Moto2™ lap record set first by Gonzalez in this morning’s FP2 session, and then further improved by Vietti during qualifying.
Looking ahead to the race, in Moto2™ the rear tyre choice appears to be leaning towards the standard-range soft SC0 compound, while for front tyres, teams are evaluating both options, according to each rider’s set-up and riding style. In Moto3™, the standard-range medium SC2 front compound proved to be the winning choice for the two fastest riders in qualifying and looks like the most popular option in tomorrow’s race, as this combo can provide the right level of stability, durability and consistent performance over race distance. While for rear tyre options, the choice between the soft SC1 and medium SC2 will be far more subjective, however, based on data we have collected, both options appear capable of delivering a competitive performance. Should temperatures rise further tomorrow, an overall improvement in performance should also be expected”.