Collin Veijer to Start from 22nd on the Grid at Mugello

Collin Veijer continued to make steady progress Saturday and will start Sunday’s Moto2 race at Mugello from 22nd position on the grid.

With temperatures similar to those on Friday morning, nearly the entire field—except for one rider—improved their lap times compared to the first day. Veijer set his best lap of Free Practice 2 on his third attempt, clocking a 1:51.266—over a second faster than his time on Friday afternoon. He also completed a long run to prepare for Sunday’s race and finished FP2 in 21st place, just 1.2 seconds off the fastest time.

Qualifying was particularly noteworthy for Veijer. The Dutch rider posted a solid lap on his first run and improved further on his second stint, continuing his consistent progress—especially impressive considering his recent five-week absence due to injury. He secured eighth place in Q1 with a best time of 1:51.017, once again improving on his morning effort. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rookie completed eight laps in total and ended up just 1.2 seconds behind the pole position time and new track record.

Overall, it was a very positive Saturday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider. Veijer was much closer to the front than on Friday and will fight for a Top 20 finish in Sunday’s race.

22. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:51.017 (+1.272)

Collin Veijer: “It wasn’t a bad day. We improved again compared to yesterday, and we’re now one step closer to where we want to be. I felt a bit more tired at the end of the day, but now it’s time to rest and focus on doing our best in tomorrow’s race. I’ll try to enjoy it as much as I can and, of course, take away as many positives as possible for the upcoming rounds. It won’t be easy, especially with the high temperatures, but we’ll give it our all to keep preparing—starting with my home Grand Prix.”

The 19-lap Italian Grand Prix gets underway at 12:15 p.m. local time.