Seventh place for Collin Veijer on the Indonesian grid

Qualifying for the Indonesian Grand Prix took place on Saturday at the Mandalika International Circuit, where Collin Veijer experienced a mixed day in the Moto2 class. Despite an early setback, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider secured a solid seventh place on the grid.

With slightly cooler conditions than on Friday — 43°C on track and 74% humidity — the intermediate class riders headed out for FP2 in the morning.
Veijer’s session got off to a difficult start after a crash at Turn 16. Fortunately, the Dutchman escaped uninjured and quickly returned to the garage to have his bike repaired. Once back on track, he steadily improved his pace, climbing from 27th to 17th by the end of the session. He finished less than a second off the fastest time and just a tenth away from his own weekend best, setting a 1:33.506 on his final lap of the 15 completed in FP2.

In the afternoon, temperatures rose to 55°C on the asphalt with 71% humidity for the Q2 session. Veijer initially struggled to find a strong rhythm in his first run but regrouped for one final push at the end. On his very last lap, with the chequered flag already out, the Dutchman delivered a perfect effort — cutting more than six-tenths from his previous best to secure seventh on the grid. His 1:32.825 lap marked his third-best Q2 result in Moto2, finishing less than half a second from pole position.

Collin Veijer: “This morning wasn’t easy with the crash at Turn 16. Fortunately, once I got back on track, the pace was really good and the feeling kept improving. In the afternoon, we struggled a little during the first laps of Qualifying, but finally I managed to return to Pit Lane and set a great lap on our last attempt. Seventh on the grid is a very good position, so we’ll see what we can do in the opening laps tomorrow — they will be the key part of the race.”

The 22-lap Moto2 Indonesian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday at 1:15 p.m. local time at the Mandalika International Circuit.