Tough start into 2018 MotoGP season for Red Bull KTM Teams at Qatar Grand Prix QUALIFYING 1st Rd. MotoGP 2018 – Losail International Circuit (QAT) MotoGP Adverse conditions with the temperatures, abrasive track surface, strong breezy air and the variation of sessions (that saw practice taking place in hot afternoon sun and qualification in a cooler climate in the evening) were some of the challenges of a first action-packed Saturday of MotoGP in 2018.   The crew improved markedly with their feeling and speed over Friday’s practice sessions on the KTM RC16 and Pol Espargaro clocked a lap that pushed him up to 12th place in the Free Practice 3. A small technical problem and then a crash on his second bike limited the Catalan’s progress into FP4 and Q2; he had to accept 22nd spot at the end of the chrono. Bradley Smith also experienced a minor issue that necessitated the use of his second race bike but the overall lack of grip was a problem that prevented the Briton from improving over 20th in Q2. Bradley Smith: “We’re just missing some grip and that's all it comes down to. The track is slowly getting better and I have some confidence that it will be better tomorrow. In general the bike feels like it did in the test and we just need to try and tweak some things to improve in these conditions. We’ll keep focussed and see what we can pull out tomorrow.” Pol Espargaro: “This morning was positive and we were pushing in FP3 to go to Q2 and I think we did a good job with 12th and 1.2 to the top. We were not far away. Then I jumped on the bike for FP4 and we had a small problem so we changed bikes and then I crashed. It is a shame. I think today we did a good job and I felt good with the bike. Tomorrow I will try my best. If our bad luck goes away I think we can do something interesting.”   Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): "Compared to yesterday then FP3 was a bit of a relief. It was the first time that bikes felt normal and for sure it is down to how the tyres feel and are changing each session on the asphalt but we improved. Unfortunately in FP4 and Qualification we could not show more. We had a few technical problems. Of course when you have moments like this then it is hard for the rider to find a rhythm through losing track time. We need to understand what happened exactly and get ready for tomorrow. Hopefully we can continue with what we had in FP3.”   Moto2 & Moto3 Miguel Oliveira was the quickest of the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders on the KTM Moto2 bikes in 4th place as former GP winner Sam Lowes registered 10th place on his return to the category. Darryn Binder will set off from the fifth tier of the Moto3 grid with Gabriel Rodrigo on the front row with his KTM RC250 GP in third spot. Miguel Oliveira: "Today was another positive day, in which we improved our lap times a lot from one session to the next. I'm happy to have taken a spot on the front two rows, which was our aim. I'm also satisfied with our pace. Tomorrow I will be focused on getting a good start and on avoiding traffic, so that I can get as high up the order as possible, as quickly as possible. Once we're there, it's going to be about running the fastest pace I can." Races: March 18, 2018 – Moto3 14:00 | Moto2 16:20 | MotoGP 17:00 CET Results Qualifying MotoGP Losail International Circuit 2018  1. Johann Zarco (FRA), Yamaha, 1:53.680 min 2. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda, +0.202 sec 3. Danilo Petrucci (ITA), Ducati, +0.207 4. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), Honda, +0.392 5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati, +0.394 KTM 20. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +1.873 22. Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +2.026 Results Qualifying Moto2 Losail International Circuit 2018  1. Alex Marquez (ESP), Kalex, 2:00.299 min 2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA), Kalex, +0.308 sec 3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA), Kalex, +0.544 4. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +0.547 5. Romano Fenati (ITA), Kalex, +0.600 KTM 10. Sam Lowes (GBR), KTM, +0.868 13. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +1.039 Results Qualifying Moto3 Losail International Circuit 2018  1. Niccolo Antonelli (ITA), Honda, 2:06.364 min 2. Jorge Martin (ESP), Honda, +0.001 sec 3. Gabriel Rodrigo (ESP), KTM, +0.483 4. Ayumu Sasaki (JAP), Honda, +0.679 5. Kaito Toba (JAP), Honda, +0.684 KTM 8. Philipp Oettl (GER), KTM, +0.823 20. Darryn Binder (RSA), KTM, +1.838  >> LINK MOTOGP PICTURES KTM MEDIA LIBRRAY >> LINK MOTO2 PICTURES KTM MEDIA LIBRARY >> LINK MOTO3 PICTURES KTM MEDIA LIBRARY PHILIPP GRÜNBERGER PR MANAGER MOTOGP philipp.gruenberger@ktm.com 0043 664 6217921 www.motogp.com www.ktm.com | media.ktm.com  Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram