The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider qualifies in sixth position, with Nagashima 22nd. Track time is reduced by almost half due to conditions in FP3.

Rain had a big say on Saturday at the European Grand Prix, as the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo encountered a circuit in mixed conditions. Jorge Martin would manage to qualify in sixth position on Sunday’s starting grid, having gone directly into Q2 thanks to his times from Friday. Tetsuta Nagashima suffered a crash in Q1, and will start from 22nd tomorrow. Both riders had limited track time available due to the tricky conditions in Free Practice 3.

The Ricardo Tormo Circuit asphalt was damp at the start of FP3, due to heavy overnight rainfall. Puddles and dry areas made it a treacherous surface, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 pair decided not to take risks. Almost the entire session was spent waiting for conditions to improve, and Martin and Nagashima had just a single run to test their feeling, subsequently returning to the pits.

Martin went straight into Q2, as a result of his Friday pace. The session was declared dry despite there still being damp areas on the track, which forced the Spaniard to keep focused. Finally, he took sixth place with a time of 1:39.456, and tomorrow he will start from the second row of the grid. Teammate Nagashima had to compete in Q1, and suffered a crash at Turn 8 with 4 minutes remaining. The Japanese finished 8th with a 1:47.432, and tomorrow he will take off from Row 8, 22nd.

The 25-lap Moto2 European Grand Prix will get underway at 12:20 pm CET.

Results – QP
1. Xavi Vierge (Kalex) 1:38.936
2. Joe Roberts (Kalex) 1:39.117 +0.181
3. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 1:39.119 +0.183
4. Remy Gardner (Kalex) 1:39.375 +0.439
5. Marco Bezzecchi (Kalex) 1:39.408 +0.472
6. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:39.456 +0.520
22. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:47.432 (Q1 time)

88 JORGE MARTIN

“In general, I’m happy with how today went. In the morning, we hardly rode, so we couldn’t do much work. In the afternoon, despite the conditions, we put on slicks and I felt comfortable – especially on the parts of the track that were not wet. I hope we can have a race free from rain tomorrow, in which we will try to fight for the victory.”

45 TETSUTA NAGASHIMA

“It was not an easy day for us. In FP3, we didn’t have enough time to try things out, due to the mixed conditions. In qualifying I felt pretty good and I did my best to improve and get high up on the grid. However, the asphalt was not completely dry and I couldn’t stay up at Turn 8. Taking into account how the circuit was, these types of incidents are something that can happen. Our result is not what we were hoping for, but the important thing is that I feel confident and that we are ready for tomorrow.”