The Italian rider places fifth, while Deniz Öncü claims 17th.

The Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona, the last round on the Moto2 calendar, left mixed feelings for the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo. Celestino Vietti was very comfortable and fought for the top spot during Practice 1, finally setting the fifth best time of the day. Deniz Öncü did his best to get a good feeling, taking seventeenth place on the timesheets.

Free Practice took place in low temperatures, with conditions very different from both those of recent rounds and the CatalanGP earlier this year. Vietti quickly went into the top positions, managing the track conditions well and going from strength to strength, adjusting his setup and putting down a good pace throughout. He completed a total of 18 laps, setting a best time of 1:43.823, which placed him in seventh. Öncü did not have such a positive start and found it more difficult to get a good feeling with his bike. The Turkish rider struggled to lower his times, and his 1:44.561 on his 16th attempt of 19 put him 23rd.

In the afternoon, a slight rise in temperatures allowed the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo to increase their pace. Vietti made a big step up and challenged at the top of the timesheets. After 19 laps, he finished fifth and showed great solidity in his riding, going just +0.3 slower than the pacesetter with his 1:42.814. Öncü, who was just thousandths of a second away from improving his time from the morning, was looking to secure a place among the Top15. However, despite closing the gap, his 1:43.570 only allowed him to finish seventeenth. On Saturday he will have another opportunity to secure a direct route into Q2.

Qualifying for the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona will take place on Saturday at 1:45pm, local time.
 

Results Practice 1
1. Aron Canet (Kalex) 1:42.426
2. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 1:42.657 +0.231
3. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) 1:42.719 +0.293
4. Jorge Navarro (Kalex) 1:42.724 +0.298
5. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.814 +0.388
17. Deniz Öncü (Res Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.570 +1.144

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI

“We started today with a good feeling. The bike was still really good. We worked a bit on some things that we have to improve, especially in these conditions, because it is really important to manage things well. We also need to be prepared to set a fast lap. We have to continue working in this same way and see what we can do tomorrow, but I think we are quite competitive and we will try to have a good qualifying to get a good position for Sunday.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“It hasn’t been an easy day for me, especially coming off very hot flyaway races with a return to colder conditions. I struggled a lot to get a good feeling with the bike and be able to push. Anyway, hopefully tomorrow I can adapt better to these conditions and improve. I want to go directly into Q2, so our goal for tomorrow is that. I’m looking forward to qualifying.”