Öncü leads FP2 and takes 12th on the grid, with Veijer 24th, seven tenths of a second off Pole Position.

The first qualifying sessions of the season took place on Saturday for Deniz Öncü and Collin Veijer in Moto2. The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders improved on their times from Friday, with Öncü leading a Moto2 session for the first time (FP2). In the afternoon, he was 12th in Q2, while Veijer lowered his best time of the weekend and will be 24th on Thailand Grand Prix grid.

Öncü set a great lap in the final stretch of FP2 to improve his position, climbing from the Top 10 to the top spot. He headed a session in the Moto2 World Championship for the first time, with his 1:34.720 a tenth faster than his previous best lap at Buriram. He was just two tenths off the track record, set on Friday.

Veijer also started in a good way, combining a long run with a Time Attack on the last laps. The Dutchman clocked a 1:35.669 on his final flying lap, shaving 6 tenths off his quickest Friday time. He was under a second behind his teammate.

In Q1, Veijer continued to make progress and once again lowered his best time of the weekend, stopping the clock at 1:35.405. This put him just seven tenths off the Pole Position time, and was the shortest gap so far for him to the fastest lap. He put in 25 laps over the course of Saturday, on route to 24th on the grid for his first race in Moto2.

In Q2, Öncü did not have his best qualifying session. Although the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider improved his times on his second run, he had to settle for 12th on the grid thanks to a 1:35.162. He completed a total of 23 laps on Saturday.

Tomorrow will be the moment of truth for both Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders. On the one hand, Öncü will try to start a promising 2025 with a good race, while Veijer will try to finish and accumulate kilometres and experience in his first Sunday in the intermediate class. The 22-lap Moto2 Thai Grand Prix race will start at 1:15pm local time.

Qualifying Results
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) 1:34.634
2. Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) 1:34.670 +0.036
3. Aron Canet (Kalex) 1:34.839 +0.205
4. Senna Agius (Kalex) 1:34.873 +0.251
5. Barry Baltus (Kalex) 1:34.885 +0.353
12. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:35.162 +0.528
24. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:35.405 +0.771

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“The second day in Thailand has ended with mixed feelings. In the morning everything went well, as we managed to improve on our Friday time and lead a Moto2 session for the first time. However, in the afternoon, Qualifying did not go as we had hoped. We were unable to put in a good lap and many riders were faster than us. In any case, tomorrow we have a long and hot race ahead of us, so we will try to be patient and make up as many positions as possible.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“Today we improved a bit more. This morning it wasn’t too hot, so we took the opportunity to try some new setups on used tyres -which all worked very well. In the afternoon we improved again compared to the morning, but we focused on getting as much riding as possible once again. Overall, I’m happy with the day and the progress we’re making, so we’re now concentrating on tomorrow’s race. The goal will be to learn, enjoy it and finish, to gather as much data as possible.”