Best Q2 of the season for Collin Veijer, who will start ninth in Austria

It was a strong Saturday for Collin Veijer at the Red Bull Ring. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider achieved his best Q2 qualifying result since stepping up to the intermediate class, claiming ninth place on the grid.

Benefiting from excellent track conditions, with 27ºC asphalt temperatures in Free Practice 2, Veijer worked primarily on his race pace, leaving his Time Attack for the closing stages. In his first run, he was only three tenths off his weekend best, confirming his strong pace. With nine minutes remaining, a red flag forced all riders back to the pits. Veijer took advantage of the pause to switch tyres and attack in the final minutes, producing three consecutive fast laps. His best effort of 1:33.512 was two tenths faster than in Saturday’s earlier Practice session, placing him 13th and less than three tenths off the top spot.

In Q2, Veijer initially went out on used tyres from Q1 and sat 16th after his first run. Once he mounted new rubber, the Dutchman found a tow from a leading rider and improved his time to 1:33.236, securing ninth place on the grid. This marks the first time he will start from the third row in Moto2, just four tenths off Pole Position.

Collin Veijer: “It’s not been a bad Saturday. This morning we improved a little from yesterday and learnt a lot for Qualifying. We also did a great job there, improving in different areas. Of course, we still need to make some small changes for tomorrow, but we’re quite happy with how we finished the second day here in Austria. Tomorrow we’ll try to have a good race from the third row. We’re feeling really confident, so let’s see how the weather is and what we can do here at the Red Bull Ring.”

Overall, it was a very positive day for Veijer, who met his targets at KTM’s home Grand Prix. On Sunday, he will aim to cap off the weekend with a strong performance in the 23-lap Moto2 Austrian Grand Prix, which begins at 12:15 local time.