Top 5 for Collin Veijer after strong Q2 performance at Mugello

Collin Veijer claimed an impressive fifth position in Moto2 qualifying at Mugello on Saturday. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider put together a superb final flying lap in Q2, earning a spot on the second row of the grid for Sunday’s race.

In stark contrast to Friday’s mixed conditions, Saturday brought sunshine, warm temperatures and record-breaking pace around the iconic Tuscan circuit. With ambient temperatures reaching 28°C and humidity at 75%, the Moto2 field completed a productive FP2 session in preparation for qualifying and the race.

Veijer focused primarily on race pace during FP2, opting to preserve fresh tyres for the afternoon qualifying session. The Dutchman completed one of the highest lap counts in the field and finished 16th with a best lap of 1:50.274.

Qualifying took place under even more demanding conditions, with track temperatures soaring to 50°C. In Q2, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider completed only one flying lap during his first run, which temporarily placed him eighth. After returning to the pits, Veijer carefully positioned himself for a strong final attack and used another rider as a reference on track. The strategy paid off, as he improved to a 1:49.206 on his final run, securing fifth place on the grid after seven laps completed. The lap was more than a second quicker than his previous best of the weekend.

Overall, it was another positive and consistent day for the Dutch rider at Mugello, who heads into Sunday’s race with confidence and a strong starting position.

Collin Veijer: “I’m very happy with today’s result. The feeling was already quite good in Free Practice 2, but that didn’t really show in the results because we focused on a long run and race pace. I think we have a good feeling for tomorrow, so we’ll see if the work we did there is enough to achieve a strong result. In the afternoon, Q2 went well. The first stint wasn’t amazing, but we managed to improve significantly on our final laps. Starting from fifth place is a great position, so we’ll see how things unfold in the opening laps of the race. We’ve worked a lot on our starts in recent weeks, and I’m confident we’ll be competitive tomorrow.”

The Moto2 race at the Italian Grand Prix is scheduled to get underway at 12:15 local time on Sunday at the iconic Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello.