Collin Veijer will start fifth in Hungary

Collin Veijer enjoyed an excellent Saturday at Balaton Park, achieving his best ever Q2 result in the Moto2 class. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider, who was only a tenth slower than the polesitter, was fifth in both the morning and afternoon sessions of the second day at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and will therefore start from the second row.

From the outset, Collin Veijer was a permanent fixture in the Top 10. The Dutchman split the session into two runs, improving his Friday time by more than four tenths of a second during his first stint. Seventh before changing tyres, on new rubber he put in an impressive performance, stringing together several consecutive fast laps that ultimately left him fifth, just two tenths off the pacesetter. With a best time of 1:40.782, eight tenths faster than in Practice, he completed 16 laps of Balaton Park.

In Q2, Veijer’s first run placed him ninth, but it was when he fitted fresh tyres that he picked up the pace. Riding alone, he produced two great laps to stay within thousandths of a second of the front row, and was in contention for pole position when the chequered flag fell, before losing out in the final sector. After eight laps, he secured fifth with a best time of 1:40.517, his best qualifying position so far as a Moto2 rider.

Collin Veijer: “I’m very happy with all we did today. This morning we worked quite well and also our race pace was strong. I think it’s very similar to that of the top riders, so maybe we can enjoy ourselves at the front tomorrow. In the afternoon, I gave it my all, but it was not enough to get onto the front row. Let’s see what we can do on Sunday because the race is always a different matter. We just need to get through the opening laps without problems, and then try to see if it could be a nice ending to this Hungarian Grand Prix.”

In conclusion, it was a very positive day for Veijer, who achieved an excellent result. The Dutchman will be looking for another strong performance in the 22-lap Moto2 Hungarian Grand Prix, which takes place on Sunday at 12:15 local time.