Talk about leaving it late. David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) pulled off an absolute stunner to snatch pole position in Moto3 for the Michelin Grand Prix of Aragon, destroying the all-all-time lap record with a blistering 1:56.347s. That is his fifth pole of the year, and let me tell you, he had to fight every single inch of the way to get it.
Here is the thing: the session was an absolute disaster zone for the #22 machine before that final flyer. Yellow flags kept ruining his rhythm, and to make matters worse, Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) absolutely bundled his way through at Turn 13 to force Almansa wide and ruin another chance. With only a couple of valid laps to his name in the entire 15-minute Q2 session, it all came down to one final, beautiful lap.
Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team) must have thought he had the job done. Morelli clocked a 1:56.380s on his very last lap and briefly sat pretty at the top of the timesheets before Almansa's late heroics dropped him. Just 0.043 seconds covered the entire top three, which is just insane margins.
Right behind them, Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team) secured third with a 1:56.390s, making a remarkable return to action straight after the broken collarbone he sustained at Silverstone. Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL UP - MTA) grabbed fourth on the second row with a late effort of his own, sitting ahead of Adrian Cruces (CIP Green Power) in fifth.
Rounding out the second row is Uriarte. The #51 had a wild path here after coming through Q1 and showing genuine pace for pole, though he will have a Long Lap Penalty hanging over him to deal with in Sunday's race. Behind them, the third row will feature Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), and Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3).
If you want to see how this incredible grid sorts itself out, make sure you catch Sunday's Moto3 race when the lights go out at 11:00 Local Time (UTC+2).
