The Turkish rider was fourteenth, while Vietti finished twenty-third on Friday.

The first day of the Indonesian Grand Prix saw an intense day of work for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2. Celestino Vietti and Deniz Öncü faced tricky track conditions. The Italian rider didn’t have a good feeling at the start of the weekend, with the 23rd fastest time. Deniz Öncü, on the other hand, made a big step forward and was very consistent from start to finish, setting the fourteenth fastest time.

The morning session allowed the intermediate class riders to adapt to the conditions and the track. The Red Bull KTM Ajo duo worked on setting up their bikes and getting a good feeling for qualifying and the race. Öncü got off to a good start to the weekend and quickly took up the top positions in the standings. The Turkish rider worked to establish a good pace and make the right tyre choice for the race. After a productive Free Practice, in which he completed 20 laps, Öncü finished in seventh position with a time of 1:34.792. Vietti struggled with his riding and, despite improving his times lap by lap, he could not find a good feeling and worked with the team to find solutions. The Italian finished Free Practice in 23rd position with a time of 1:35.523.

Practice 1 had an increase in temperatures that was even more demanding on the riders’ fitness. Vietti made progres compared to the morning session, but it was not enough to get him into the Q2 spots. His 1:34.944 kept him in 23rd position. Öncü, on the other hand, continued with a good feeling and was also able to improve his times from Free Practice. The Turkish Red Bull KTM Ajo rider’s quest to find the best setup and tyre choice got him to a 1:34.398 lap, putting him 14th and provisionally into Q2.

Practice 1 Results
1. Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro) 1:33.690
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) 1:33.747 +0.057
3. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 1:33.853 +0.163
4. Fermin Aldeguer (Boscoscuro) 1:33.887 +0.197
5. Somkiat Chantra (Kalex) 1:33.893 +0.203
14. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:34.398 +0.708
23. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:34.944 +1.254

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI

“It has not been an easy day. Compared to the morning session, this afternoon we took a step forward, but we still need to find something to be able to improve our riding and also the bike. Generally I need to try to find a bit more flow to be closer to the top. Now we will work hard to understand everything and be able to improve tomorrow.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“We’re back in Asia, a really hot country. Today I finished 7th in Free Practice and in Practice 1 I set my best lap time with a race distance tire. However, with a new tyre I didn’t feel quite comfortable enough to push, and I took 14th at the end. Tomorrow we will work on this aspect, as well as improving our times to try to have a better day and move up a few positions.”