The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider had one last attempt to improve his time, but it was not enough.

There was a mixed Saturday for Deniz Öncü at the United Kingdom Grand Prix. The Turkish rider once again led FP2 in the morning, but a small crash at the start of Q2 and a disallowed lap meant he could only qualify 18th at Silverstone. Deniz had a single flying lap with the flag already taken, but was cancelled due to the presence of yellow flags on track.

Previous Saturday sessions at Silverstone had helped clear the track in the morning, allowing the Moto2 riders to compete in Free Practice 2 in near-dry conditions. However, only Öncü and a few other riders went out early on, with several damp patches present on the asphalt. As on Friday, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was once again one of the most active in the opening session completing twelve laps. Although he focused on his race pace more than a hot lap, Öncü opted to perform a Time Attack in the final part of the session and, for the third time this season, he topped FP2 after a strong final attempt. His 2:05.220 put him almost a second ahead of his rivals.

In Q2, Öncü went all out for Pole Position. However, before completing his first lap, he lost the front end of his bike, crashing and forcing a rush to pit urgently to get back out on track. After a great job by the Red Bull KTM Ajo mechanics, he returned with three minutes remaining and completed a flying lap, but not good enough to improve his position. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as Race Control ultimately disallowed the lap due to the presence of yellow flags. With no time officially recorded in Q2, he had to settle for last place in the session, and 18th on the grid.

Once again, Öncü completes a bittersweet Saturday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, which will have to support its only representative at Silverstone to try to make a comeback during Sunday’s race. 17-lap Moto2 race will take place on Sunday from 11:15am local time.

Qualifying Results
1. Aron Canet (Kalex) | 2:02.482
2. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 2:02.630 (+0.148)
3. Diogo Moreira (Kalex) | 2:02.817 (+0.335)
4. David Alonso (Kalex) | 2:02.992 (+0.510)
5. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 2:03.137 (+0.655)
18. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | No laptime

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

Qualifying didn’t go the way we wanted. I made a mistake on my first lap and I had a small crash. Anyway, my team did a great job repairing my bike very quickly, so I can only say thank you to all of them, because I had an opportunity to do a clean lap at the last moment. It’s a shame because it was enough to achieve a better grid position. Tomorrow we will have to start from 18th, so I will try to enjoy myself to the fullest and of course do my best to recover as many places as I can.