Third-row start for Collin Veijer in Austin

Collin Veijer secured ninth place in Q2 at the United States Grand Prix, capping off another strong day for the Dutchman. Following a penalty for David Alonso, Veijer will start from eighth on the grid for Sunday’s race.

Under slightly cooler conditions than Friday, with track temperatures at 22°C, the Moto2 field headed out for FP2. The session proved to be a fast one, with the all-time lap record for the intermediate class being broken.

Collin Veijer followed a similar approach to Friday, working independently and consistently running inside the top ten. Focusing on race preparation, he opted for a longer run to fine-tune the setup of his machine. However, while on course for a potentially fastest lap, the Dutch rider suffered a minor crash at Turn 7. Although unhurt, he was unable to return to the track in the final ten minutes of the session, finishing 12th with a best lap of 2:07.262 after 10 laps.

Track conditions improved in the afternoon, with temperatures rising to 37°C for Qualifying. Veijer made another step forward in Q2, completing seven laps in total. After positioning himself near the top ten during his first run, he improved further in his second stint, setting his fastest lap of the weekend — a 2:05.596, just three tenths shy of pole position.

As one of several riders to break the previous Moto2 lap record at the Circuit of the Americas, Veijer ultimately dropped to ninth place in the closing moments of the session. It marks the third consecutive race in which the Dutchman will start from inside the top ten.

Collin Veijer: “Today went quite well. This morning I had a small crash, but we managed to fix everything in time for Qualifying. The first run wasn’t amazing, but in the second stint I found a better rhythm and managed to secure a spot on the third row. Of course, I wanted a bit more, but this is what we have for now. A yellow flag prevented me from improving on my final lap, so ninth place was the maximum today. Tomorrow we’ll give it everything to fight closer to the front.”

Veijer has shown steady progress throughout the weekend and will be aiming to convert that pace into a strong result in Sunday’s 16-lap race, which is scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. local time.