Pedro Acosta was fifth in qualifying on Saturday, and Albert Arenas twelfth.

Qualifying for the French Grand Prix saw Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 claiming spots on the second and fourth rows, as they look for positive results on raceday at Le Mans.

Practice 3 got underway with wet conditions, although the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders quickly occupied the top positions in the standings and engaged in the constant changes of positions in the Top 5. In the last few minutes, dry lines emerged and, amidst mixed conditions, Acosta completed a total of 16 laps and clocked a 1:43.505 on his final attempt, putting him 14th. Arenas would not improve on his lap times from Friday, but had been pacy enough on Day 1 to join his teammate in Q2.

In qualifying, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders faced completely different conditions than those from the morning. On a dry track, the Moto2 field was able to improve lap times from earlier in the weekend and challenge for a good position on the starting grid. Acosta was focused on placing as high up as possible and set the fifth fastest time -a 1:36.169 that was his best of the weekend to date. He had another, quicker lap on his final attempt, but it was cancelled out due to a red flag and he will take off from the second row. Also having laps scrubbed was Arenas, as crashes and stoppages made luck a big factor in Q2. Despite a good feeling an setting his best time of the Grand Prix with a 1:36.537, he will be twelfth on the grid.

The 22-lap Moto2 race will start at 12:15pm local time on Sunday.

Results (Qualifying session)
1. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 1:35.791
2. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) 1:36.036 +0.245
3. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 1:36.053 +0.262
4. Filip Salac (Kalex) 1:36.135 +0.344
5. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.169 +0.378
12. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.537 +0.746

#37 PEDRO ACOSTA

“Practice 3 was wet and I didn’t want to take too many risks, as we had more to lose than to gain. In any case, we’re happy because the team are working well and we’ve got onto the second row for tomorrow. We have to be focused on earning the maximum possible points in each race and try to be as competitive as possible.”

#75 ALBERT ARENAS

“It was a qualifying session without reward for us, because there were many yellow flags that cancelled out my best laps. I’m not happy with the position, but we can take away the work we’ve done over the weekend. Now it’s time to think about tomorrow’s race and do the best we can. We’re doing a good job and tomorrow we’ll try to fight back from the first lap to see how far we can go.”