Hakim Danish Leads Moto3 FP1 at Catalunya 2026

Hakim Danish finished fastest in Moto3 Free Practice 1 at the 2026 Catalan Grand Prix after setting a 1m47.478s lap aboard the AEON Credit - MT Helmets - MSI machine at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The Malaysian rider ended the session 0.201 seconds ahead of Adrian Fernandez from Leopard Racing, while Alvaro Carpe secured third position for Red Bull KTM Ajo, 0.230 seconds behind the session leader.

The session took place under dry conditions despite relatively cold weather at Catalunya, with air temperatures at 13 degrees Celsius and track temperatures reaching 30 degrees. Most riders focused heavily on front-end confidence and stability through Barcelona’s final technical sector.

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Danish showed consistent pace throughout the session and managed tyre performance effectively as the majority of the field switched to time-attack runs during the closing minutes. Barcelona’s flowing layout also appeared well suited to both KTM and Honda packages capable of maintaining strong mid-corner speed through Sector 2.

Behind the top three, Rico Salmela placed fourth for Red Bull KTM Tech3, while Adrian Cruces completed the top five for CIP Green Power.

Indonesian rider Veda Pratama finished the session in 23rd position with Honda Team Asia, posting a best lap of 1m50.142s, 2.664 seconds behind Danish.

Veda struggled to find a fully consistent rhythm during the closing stages as track grip improved significantly. The sizeable gap to the midfield group also highlighted remaining issues in slow-corner acceleration and braking stability.

Team-mate Zen Mitani finished directly behind him in 24th position. Meanwhile, several expected front-runners including David Munoz, Matteo Bertelle, and Maximo Quiles did not yet fully reveal their pace during the opening session.

The Moto3 field is expected to become even more competitive during Friday afternoon’s Practice session, which will directly determine automatic progression into Q2. Slipstream strategy and rear tyre management are again likely to become decisive factors around the Barcelona circuit.

Source: Official Moto3 FP1 results from the 2026 Catalan Grand Prix.