The Spaniard has a solid performance in a race shortened to 9 laps by a red flag. Veijer is unable to finish due to a crash.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 experienced a strange Sunday at the French Grand Prix. The track conditions, still somewhat damp due to overnight rain, shortened the Moto2 race to 14 laps initially. This was followed by a subsequent red flag reducing it to 9 laps, turning it into a true sprint race. Jose Antonio Rueda managed to finish in a commendable 18th place, just one second outside the points. Collin Veijer suffered a minor crash on the restart and was unable to take the chequered flag.

The sunshine of Friday and Saturday gave way to unfavourable weather on Sunday, although the Red Bull Rookies Cup and Moto3 races helped dry the surface. The Moto2 field went out on slicks in 17°C temperatures, with 69% humidity.

Rueda had a good start in the first race, managing to hold his position through Turns 2 and 3 and even gain three places on the first two laps. However, a crash brought out the red flag, which stopped the race. This forced the Moto2 riders to recover their starting positions, although the second race was reduced to just 9 laps. After the restart, Rueda wasn’t able to make as much progress as in the first run, holding 18th place and battling with nine other riders for a Top 13 finish. He crossed the line in 18^th, just one second shy of the points. Rueda is now 23rd in the overall standings with 1 point, and remains the top rookie in the class.

Veijer got off the line poorly. Despite initially holding tenth place, he made a mistake, dropping to last position. Fortunately for him, after recovering three positions, the red flag came out, forcing the race to be stopped and reverted to the original starting grid order, which allowed him to regain 10th place. He managed to hold his position for the first lap of the restart, but whilst in a large group, the Dutchman lost control of his bike and crashed, taking Daniel Muñoz with him. Muñoz was forced to run wide to avoid the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider. Veijer escaped injury but received a Long Lap penalty, which will be applied at the Catalan Grand Prix. He was unable to finish the race and drops to 11th in the overall standings with 29.5 points.

All in all, it was a bittersweet Sunday for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, where the two riders were unable to cap off a strong weekend with a finish in the points. The team is ninth in the Team standings with 30.5 points. Next up is the Catalan Grand Prix, from May 15-17th at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Race Results
1. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 14:14.987
2. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | +0.566
3. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | +2.969
4. Alonso Lopez (Kalex) | +3.949
5. David Alonso (Kalex) | +5.165
18. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +14.791
DNF. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +8 laps

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 79.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 70 points
3. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 59 points
4. Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) | 53 points
5. David Alonso (Kalex) | 48 points
11. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 29.5 points
23. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1 point

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 138.5 points
2. CFMoto Inde Aspar Team | 91 points
3. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 70.5 points
4. Folladore SpeedRS Team | 53 points
5. Italtrans Racing Team | 44 points
9. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 30.5 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“It was a bit unfortunate for us on race day, as I believe that especially Collin had potential to fight more at the front today, but bad starts in both races made him lose a lot of places -and then a contact with another rider ended his race. Jose Antonio took another step forward this weekend and was finally able to reach his full potential after the arm pump operation. He’s getting closer to the top every weekend so I’m sure he’ll be fighting for better positions in the next few rounds.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“There’s not much to add today. The starts weren’t good and I was too careful maybe in the first laps. I couldn’t get my head straight and made a mistake which completely ruined my race and that of another rider, so I’m quite disappointed with the situation. We have to accept the penalty for next weekend and move on. We need to make sure that we only go upwards from this and take it as a motivation to improve my headspace for the next few rounds.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Today’s race was a bit strange. We didn’t quite show the pace we had done throughout the rest of the weekend, as the race was very short and a lot happened in a short amount of time. Also, the conditions were somewhat different, and it wasn’t easy. However, I’m very happy with how the weekend has gone overall. We’ve made several solid steps forward, I’ve felt good, and I’ve really enjoyed it, so I see this as a turning point for the upcoming races.”