The Turkish rider claims second in Qatar, with Collin Veijer again amongst the points (13^th).

Red Bull KTM Ajo enjoyed their best weekend of 2025 so far at the Qatar Grand Prix, with both riders in the Top 15 for the first time this season. Deniz Öncü rode his best race in the intermediate class, leading for half of the race. The Turkish rider fought until the end for second place to take his second podium in Moto2 and his best result ever on the Kalex. Collin Veijer also enjoyed a positive Sunday, scoring points for the second consecutive time in Moto2 as he crossed the line in 13th place.

If the grid positions were already the best of the season for Öncü and Veijer, their first lap was even better: Öncü was fifth on the opening lap, while Veijer was just outside the points, 16th.

Into the Top 3 after just two laps, he then pushed further to take the lead in a Moto2 contest for the first time. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider held on for more than six laps, but despite opening a gap of several tenths over his rivals, he was eventually caught by Aron Canet halfway through the race. Whilst he couldn’t match the Spanish rider’s pace, he held on to finish runner-up in the Qatar Grand Prix, after a fight with Manuel Gonzalez. It was his best result to date in the Moto2 class.

Veijer had placed 20th in Qualifying, but he fight for much more during the race. He maintained his pace and worked his way into the points, then to competing for the Top 10. In the second half of the race, the group moved closer to the Top 8 and swallowed up several other riders. In the final stretch, with worn tyres, the Dutchman had to ride alone to reach eleventh place. He was then caught by David Alonso and Zonta van der Goorbergh, who passed him and left Veijer in 13th. He earned three points in his fourth race on a Moto2 bike.

All in all, a perfect race – and Grand Prix – for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, which arrives in Europe with the conviction of being able to continue with the good results started in Qatar. Red Bull KTM Ajo are currently 8th in the Team standings. In the rider one, Öncü climbs to ninth overall with 26 points, while Veijer is 19th with 9 points. The next round of the World Championship will be the Spanish Grand Prix, which takes place from April 25-27th.

Race Results
1. Aron Canet (Kalex) 35:30.185
2. Deniz Öncü (Kalex) | +1.103
3. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | +1.286
4. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | +4.021
5. Diogo Moreira (Kalex) | +5.892
13. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +13.048

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2025
1. Aron Canet (Kalex) | 71 points
2. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 61 points
3. Jake Dixon (Boscoscuro) | 59 points
4. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 36 points
5. Marcos Ramirez (Kalex) | 35 points
9. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 26 points
19. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 9 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2025
1. Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO | 104 points
2. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 82 points
3. ELF Marc VDS Racing Team | 72 points
4. Team HDR Heidrun | 55 points
5. CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team | 43 points
8. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 35 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“We had the best weekend of the season so far. Both riders worked very well during the three days, from the Free Practices to today’s race. Deniz had an incredible race after a difficult start to the season. After all the struggles this year today we saw his true potential and I’m sure this result gives him the needed confidence boost. Collin also had a very good race today and his best weekend of 2025 so far. He achieved points in wet conditions in Austin, but here he was very competitive in dry conditions as well and made another great step in his work.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“I needed a result like this, and so did my team. This is what we had been fighting for since the beginning of the season, and I have to get these types of results if I want to keep my dream alive. The three first Grands Prix of the season didn’t work out very well, but here in Qatar we can only take away a lot of positives. I had confidence and also a very competitive pace, so I’m very happy with all we did here during the entire weekend. It’s a shame not to fight for the victory, but my tyres were completely gone. Thank you everybody and we will try to carry this form over to Jerez.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“Today was not so bad. It was a solid race and we got into the points again. The first lap was really good and I gained some positions on the first few sectors. After that, I just tried to maintain the pace and pass the people in front of me. Then, I arrived to 11^th position, where I was feeling really good. But at the end of the race I started to lose a little of front tyre grip and we struggled to keep the position. Overall, we’re happy with today’s performance and motivated to carry this feeling over to Jerez. Thank you to the team for their hard work.”