Deniz Öncü sets the third best time on Friday, with Celestino Vietti ninth on his return to action.

There was a positive start to the Malaysian Grand Prix for Red Bull KTM Ajo. The Moto2 riders worked hard despite the difficult conditions, and Deniz Öncü clocked the third best time. Celestino Vietti returned from injury and placed ninth.

Friday’s Free Practice opened with the Red Bull KTM Ajo pair waiting for the first few minutes to check the track condition, then going out to start to get a feel for it. Vietti focused on progressively improving and feeling comfortable, despite the discomfort he still has from his injury. The Italian rider did not want to take excessive risks, due to the lack of grip on the track, although he was very consistent. With a time of 2:07.075, set on his seventh lap of nine, he finished in twelfth position. Öncü was in great form despite the conditions, setting the pace on the initial laps. The Turkish rider had a good feeling and steadily upped his speed, finishing sixth thanks to a 2:06.832.

In the afternoon session, the intermediate class riders had their first chance to fight for a direct spot in Q2. High temperatures, combined with a lack of grip, posed a great challenge for Vietti and Öncü. Vietti improved his times from the morning considerably and came close to the top spot. Putting in 14 laps, his best was a 2:06.165 on his tenth attempt, with which he took ninth place. Öncü was one of the standouts in Practice 1. Maintaining a great pace and lowering his times lap after lap, he challenged for the top position. Finally, his 2:05.944 lap situated him in third place, just +0.3s off the fastest time.

Moto2 qualifying takes place on Saturday at 1:45pm local time.

Results Pratice 1
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) 2:05.576
2. Filip Salac (Kalex) 2:05.909 +0.333
3. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:05.944 +0.368
4. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 2:06.040 +0.464
5. Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro) 2:06.096 +0.520
9. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:06.165 +0.589

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI

“First of all, I am really happy to be back on the bike and working with the team. It won’t be an easy weekend and we will struggle a bit with the pain, but the feeling with the bike was immediately not bad. We can improve my riding and I think tomorrow we can take a step forward. The track conditions are difficult, because there is no grip and it is slippery, but it’s the same for everyone, so we will try to manage everything and see what we can do tomorrow.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“Today I tried to set my own pace, pushing every lap, although it was difficult to focus. The feeling is that we are strong and fast, which is very positive. The goal for tomorrow is to set a fast lap time in qualifying and get a good position on the gird, so that I can fight in the front positions in the race and compete for the podium.”