A second Top 10 finish of the season is taken by the Dutchman, with Jose Antonio Rueda completing the contest in 21st.

Collin Veijer earned a second consecutive Top 10 finish of the season at the Brazilian Grand Prix, placing eighth at the second round of the year. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, who had previously enjoyed a strong Q2 performance for sixth on the grid, earned valuable points. Jose Antonio Rueda, who qualified 27th, completed a Moto2 race for the first time with 21st place.

For Qualifying, held early on Sunday morning, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders faced partly cloudy skies but good track conditions: 36°C and 75% humidity.

Rueda set a best time of 1:21.976, 7 tenths faster than his Saturday time from FP2 and putting him 27th. He ended Q1 early due to a minor technical issue.

Veijer had a great Q2, achieving his best result of the weekend to earn sixth on the grid. He was able to lower his time twice in the second Time Attack, with a 1:20.946 putting him just 2 tenths off pole position.

Heading into the race, conditions became more extreme, with track temperatures reaching 51°C, along with significantly lower humidity than the rest of the weekend.

When the contest got underway, Veijer dropped to 10th position on the first lap, then steadily improved throughout the race, gradually moving up to lead the chasing pack in sixth position by Lap 4. However, the two-second gap to the front group proved insurmountable, as the pace increased as the laps progressed. Veijer would eventually cross the line in eighth place, riding alone. He added eight points to his tally, bringing his total to 13.5 and placing him sixth in the overall standings.

Rueda got off the line well, climbing to 23rd position on the opening lap and beginning a battle for 19th place. Past the halfway point of the race, he gained another two positions, whilst in the final third he suffered from a lack of experience in the Moto2 class, as the group stretched out from him. He remained just two seconds behind 18th place until the end of the race, taking the chequered flag in 21st for his first Moto2 finish. He is currently 25th in the overall standings, still waiting to claim his maiden points.

All in all, it was another weekend of progress and development for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, which not only picked up some valuable points but also managed to bring both bikes to the box after taking the chequered flag. Red Bull KTM Ajo remain in sixth position in the Team standings with Veijer’s 13.5 points. The series now moves on to the Circuit of the Americas and the US Grand Prix, from March 27-29th.

Race Results
1. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 35:46.382
2. Daniel Muñoz (Kalex) | +1.226
3. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | +3.916
4. Alex Escrig (Forward) | +4.497
5. David Alonso (Kalex) | +8.652
8. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +11.198
21. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +31.633

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 33 points
2. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 28.5 points
3. Daniel Muñoz (Kalex) | 24 points
4. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 20 points
5. Alex Escrig (Forward) | 15 points
6. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 13.5 points
25. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 0 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. CFMoto Aspar Team | 44 points
2. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 28.5 points
3. Italtrans Racing Team | 28 points
4. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 20.5 points
5. KLINT Racing Team | 15 points
6. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 13.5 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“Overall, it was a positive weekend after all the crazy conditions we had in Brazil. To tell the truth, we’re not 100% satisfied today as we felt there could have been a little bit more from us during the race, but it will arrive in the next few rounds. Collin didn’t have the best feeling during the race, but even on a day like this he still managed to get an 8th place which confirms he has taken another step closer to the top spots this year. Jose Antonio had some good battles going on in his group and I’m sure he learned more things than ever on a Moto2 bike today. For him, the main thing was to finish the race and get more experience, which he did. It’s positive for him in his second ever intermediate class weekend.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“This morning’s Qualifying wasn’t too bad. We managed to set a decent lap and I felt quite confident with the session overall. Unfortunately, the race start was terrible for us, and we dropped many places. After that, I tried to recover some positions and I did. I had to keep my pace up, and we did that during the first 15 laps. After that, I started to struggle with my front tyre, but the gap to the front riders was still the same, so that’s positive for us. In the end, it’s an 8th place and good points for the championship.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Without a doubt, today has been our best day in Brazil. We managed to finish a first Moto2 race, so I’m satisfied with that. At the beginning of the race, I wanted to conserve the front tyre and I could have pushed a bit harder, but these things happen and we’ll learn from this. We have room for improvement, we enjoyed ourselves, we learned, and we’re going to the United States with a good feeling and the confidence that we still have a lot of fight left in us.”