The Dutchman maintains his perfect record of Q2 entries for 2026. Jose Antonio Rueda places 26th on his return after surgery.

Collin Veijer finished seventh in Friday’s Practice at the French Grand Prix, as the Moto2 Red Bull KTM Ajo riders got the weekend underway at Le Mans. The Dutchman, who placed 11th in the morning, secured his fifth direct spot in Q2 from the opening five rounds of the season. Jose Antonio Rueda made a positive return from surgery, finishing just one second off the fastest time of the afternoon session.

The weather at Le Mans was promising to start the weekend, with 17°C and 56% humidity for FP1. Most importantly, there was no sign of the rain that had been forecast for France all week.

Veijer started FP1 calmly, getting a feel for his bike lap by lap. After his first run, the Dutchman was slightly off the pace inside the Top 20. However, after a trip to the pits, he stepped up his pace, as is customary for him in the second half of practice sessions, eventually climbing to 11th position with a best time of 1:35.203. He was just four tenths of a second off the fastest rider, with a lap achieved on his 17th of 18 attempts. Rueda had a better start to FP1 than usual. The Spaniard, having received clearance to ride after his right arm problem, was able to slot in behind Veijer during his first few laps, and was firmly within the Top 20. After an initial analysis in the garage, the Spaniard returned to the track for his second stint, completing 20 laps with a long stint – more than anyone else in the class – and ultimately finishing 24th with a best time of 1:35.979 -just 1.2 seconds off the fastest time of the session.

In the afternoon, conditions were again conducive to fast times for the intermediate class, with track temperatures of 21°C and 42% humidity.

Veijer took just five minutes to reach the Top 5 in Practice, after two consecutive fast laps. He was able to work on adapting and improving his performance until the closing stages, where he shifted his focus to his Time Attack. His best lap came on his 17th lap of 18, setting a 1:34.497 that left him seventh, less than 2 tenths of a second behind the fastest rider. Rueda kicked things off in the same vein as in the morning session, working steadily by himself to improve his FP1 time on his first flying laps. Across two more runs, the series’ top Rookie was able to further lower his time on his 18th lap of 19, to 1:35.406. In 26th place, the Spaniard was just one second off the top, as he continues to get closer and closer to the front group.

All in all, it was a good Friday for both Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders, who made good progress throughout the day. Both riders will take part in Free Practice 2 at 9:25 a.m. (local time) on Saturday. Q1 for Rueda will start at 1:40 p.m., while Q2 begins at 2:05 p.m. with Collin on track.

Practice Results
1. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 1:34.348
2. Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) | 1:34.350 (+0.002)
3. Barry Baltus (Kalex) | 1:34.351 (+0.003)
4. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | 1:34.392 (+0.044)
5. Alonso Lopez (Kalex) | 1:34.436 (+0.088)
7. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:34.497 (+0.149)
26. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:35.406 (+1.058)

#95 COLLIN VEIJER 

“I’m happy with today’s results. The feeling was really good today. During FP1, the first stint was a little bit strange with the hardest tyre, but the second one went much better. In Practice, I felt great with all the things we tried out, and we went directly into Q2 again, so the main goal of the day was  accomplished. Now we’ll see where we can improve tomorrow and if the weather keeps like this or the situation changes, but we will be ready for everything that comes our way.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Today went well and I felt good physically. It’s incredible to feel like I can easily complete all the laps I want in a session and maintain a consistent pace at the same time. In Moto2, it’s not easy to be at the top because everyone is incredibly fast, but I think we’re getting closer and closer, and we have another opportunity tomorrow. We know where we can improve by a few more tenths, so we’ll go for it, and I’m sure we can continue to make progress.”