The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo finish Friday in 19th and 27th position, respectively.

The Spanish Grand Prix got underway this Friday at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. Celestino Vietti and Deniz Öncü started the day with a good feeling, although in the afternoon session the wind made things more difficult for the pair. They finished 19th and 27th, respectively, and will have to fight to move directly into Q2.

The Free Practice took place under optimal conditions, both on the track and in terms of ambient temperature. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo had their first contact with the Andalusian circuit and worked with afternoon timed practice in mind. Vietti made steady progress and, after a pit stop, moved into the upper positions. With a time of 1:41.109, he finished the session in a brilliant fourth position. Deniz Öncü also took strides in Jerez. The Turkish rider went out onto the track with a good feeling and a good starting point, after the positive results in the preseason test at the Spanish circuit. After a first stop, the rookie continued to improve his times, in a session in which up to 20 riders rode within the same second. Thanks to the 1:41.542 he achieved on his 13th lap of 18, he was 16th.

In Practice, high winds made things even more difficult for the intermediate class. Vietti approached this session focused on finding the strategy and setup for the weekend. However, the weather conditions affected his feeling and Vietti was unable to lower his best time. After 19 laps he was 19th, through his 1:41.703 on his 16th attempt. Öncü did not have his best afternoon in Jerez either. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider suffered the effects of the wind and was unable to improve his time either. With a 1:42.468, he was 27th.

Moto2 qualifying sessions will take place on Saturday from 1:45 pm local time.

Results Practice 1
1. Joe Roberts (Kalex) 1:40.664
2. Fermin Aldeguer (Boscoscuro) 1:40.898 +0.234
3. Sergio Garcia (Boscoscuro) 1:40.931 +0.267
4. Marcos Ramirez (Kalex) 1:40.964 +0.300
5. Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro) 1:40.993 +0.329
19. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:41.703 +1.039
27. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo)  1:42.468 +1.804

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI

“We started the day with a good feeling, because in Free Practice we understood the bike and where we needed to work. This afternoon we tried something different but it didn’t work out. Probably the windy conditions made things more difficult and the bike worked very differently. We need to analyse the data in order to understand what will be the best setup for tomorrow and the rest of the weekend.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“That’s the first day finished in Jerez. We need to keep improving and searching to find where we can do better. The wind made things more difficult because the bike works very differently in those conditions. Tomorrow I will try to compete better than today and I will give my best on the track while enjoying myself at the same time.”