Veijer takes best Moto2 result to date with fifth at Balaton Park

The Dutchman caps a very competitive weekend with fifth place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Teammate Daniel Muñoz finishes 20th after completing two Long Laps.

The Hungarian Grand Prix featured a great performance from Collin Veijer, who earned his best Moto2 finish so far with fifth in the race. He was just 1 second behind the racewinner, earning 11 points in the process. Stand-in teammate Daniel Muñoz did not have an easy race, as he was caught up in an incident at the first corner and had to repeat a Long Lap after initially failing to complete it satisfactorily. He ultimately took the chequered flag in 20th place.

Track temperatures were the highest of the weekend for the 22-lap contest, reaching 40ºc.

Veijer got off to a good start from fifth on the grid, moving up to fourth. However, the Dutchman suffered a scare with his bike in the third sector, which caused him to finish the first lap in sixth. As the initial laps passed, the group was stretched due to the pace at the front, leaving Veijer to fight alone with Aron Canet for fourth place. He used his rival for a tow, then caught up with Jake Dixon ahead of them. Veijer overtook Canet to climb to fourth but, with five laps remaining, David Alonso passed him. Whilst he battled to get ahead of Dixon and Alonso, he would cross the line in fifth, just 1.3 seconds off the race winner.  With 11 points from the race, Veijer now has 32 and is in 19th place overall. 

Muñoz had taken off from 20th on the grid, and became caught up in an incident that saw four crashes at the first corner. The delay relegated him to 24th on the opening lap, forcing him to gradually make his way back from last place. After the first five laps, Muñoz moved into the Top 20 again, and he began chasing the group ahead of him to continue his comeback. However, several warnings for crossing track limits eventually ended up in him being handed a Long Lap penalty -which he subsequently had to repeat for again straying outside the track perimeter. Muñoz put in a good pace similar to that of the frontrunners, clocking several consecutive personal best laps of Balaton Park. He was the second-fastest on the final lap, as he moved into 20^th place. Muñoz remains 29th overall, with three points.

After this Sunday in Hungary, Red Bull KTM Ajo confirms its progress at the hands of Collin Veijer, who has now two very positive Grand Prix races in a row. For his part, it was a weekend of learning for Daniel Muñoz, who has been competitive every day, including today in the race, although circumstances have not been in his favour. With 135 points, the team is eighth in the overall standings. The fifteenth round of the season -the Catalan Grand Prix- will take place from September 5-7th.

Race Results 
1. David Alonso (Kalex) | 37:18.405 
2. Diogo Moreira (Kalex) | +0.174
3. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | +0.305
4. Jake Dixon (Boscoscuro) | +0.876
5. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +1.344 
20. Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +26.552

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2025
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 204 points
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) | 179 points
3. Diogo Moreira (Kalex) | 173 points
4. Barry Baltus (Kalex) | 147 points
5. Jake Dixon (Boscoscuro) | 132 points
7. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 100 points
19. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 32 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2025
1. Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO | 326 points
2. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 297 points
3. ELF Marc VDS Racing Team | 211 points
4. Italtrans Racing Team | 189 points
5. OnlyFans American Racing Team | 169 points
8. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 135 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“The weekend was very positive from the get-go, especially with Collin, who showed great progress through the weekend. This was his best Moto2 weekend so far, in terms of all three days, and today he put in a great effort during the race. Dani also worked very well here at Balaton Park. The characteristics of the track didn’t help him too much -especially today, when he needed to make a fightback but had a difficult task in front of him from the first lap. It was another learning experience and positive weekend for him and for his future.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“We took a very good step forward today as well. We tried to maintain our position on the grid with a great start, but we had a big moment on Lap 1 and lost two positions there. We tried to recover as quickly as possible, but it was difficult to catch the front riders again. The important thing is that we had a very good pace and we are getting closer and closer; we were within a second of the podium and the victory, so we need to keep taking solid steps forward. I’m very happy with the entire weekend, so let’s see what we’re capable of in the next race, which will be in Barcelona in a fortnight. Now we’ll enjoy this week off, and then we will start to prepare for the next round.”

#17 DANIEL MUÑOZ

“This was a weekend in which I learned a lot. We worked very well from the start, even though the race result doesn’t reflect that. I’m very grateful to the entire team. The start of the race was difficult; we couldn’t get things right off the start and found ourselves far back, ruling out any chance of a fightback. Then came the Long Lap, which left us further behind. Now we have to keep working and wait for new opportunities. When they come along, we have to make the most of them and continue learning in this close and competitive class.”