Less than a tenth of a second from 5th position, the Turkish rider finishes Practice in 11th. Veijer takes 22nd place.

The first day of the German Grand Prix took place on Friday, with Deniz Öncü and Collin Veijer having solid showings. The former qualified directly for Q2 after two consistent sessions, with his teammate 22nd -just nine tenths off the best time in Practice.

Friday got off to a quiet start at the Sachsenring, with rain holding off during Free Practice 1. However, the sky remained overcast throughout the morning, with temperatures of 28ºC on track and 64% humidity.

Unlike at the previous round in the Netherlands, Öncü started strongly and consistently, establishing himself among the frontrunners as soon as he completed his first flying laps. The Turkish rider hovered within 2-3 tenths of the lead throughout the session, improving his time to 1:23.302 on his second stint. With 21 laps completed, he made the most of the session to prepare his setup and race pace, and finished in 8th place. Veijer also made a good start, close to the Top 20. The Dutch rider, as his teammate, had never ridden a Moto2 bike at the Sachsenring, but adapted quickly and efficiently. So much so that he was only a second behind the fastest rider in FP1. His best time was a 1:24.077 after 22 laps, making him one of the busiest riders on Friday morning. His position in the timesheets was 21st.

The afternoon saw an even warmer session. Temperatures were up to 33ºC on track, and the Moto2 class broke the track record on several occasions.

Öncü suffered a bizarre setback at the start of Practice in the form of a bee, which had found its way into his helmet just minutes after he had gone out on track. Unstung and unfazed, he refocused and set his sights on his Time Attack. A great lap of 1:22.854 moved him from 24th to 3rd, to comfortably secure his place in Q2. Finally, after a long run focused on his pace, he finished eleventh, with 21 laps completed. Veijer also went for his Time Attack at the start of the session, placing himself in the Q2 positions on his third lap. He had already shaved more than half a second off his morning time, when he tried again in the final stretch of Practice to set his best time of the day: A 1:23.229. However, it wasn’t enough to get into the Top 14, leaving him 22nd -just 3 tenths off the cutoff and 9 tenths off the session’s best time. His 23 laps made him the most prolific rider of the afternoon.

All in all, a good Friday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team at the Sachsenring. Saturday has a high probability of rain, and in the morning Öncü and Veijer will take part in FP2 from 9:25 a.m. (local time). In qualifying. Veijer will be in Q1 at 1:45 p.m., while Q2 gets underway at 2:10 p.m.

Practice Results
1. Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) | 1:22.329
2. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 1:22.459 (+0.130)
3. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 1:22.606 (+0.277)
4. Marcos Ramirez (Kalex) | 1:22.749 (+0.420)
5. Aron Canet (Kalex) | 1:22.765 (+0.436)
11. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:22.854 (+0.525)
22. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:23.229 (+0.900)

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“We’ve finished the first day in Germany with a good feeling. We made it into Q2, so tomorrow we have to take another step forward. There are many things to improve at the moment, but our start to the weekend was good. Let’s see if tomorrow it rains, but we will fight as much as possible to achieve a good starting grid position. We’re working in the right way and this afternoon we will do more to get a little bit closer during Saturday qualifying at Sachsenring.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“This morning we had a very good start to the weekend, when compared to my last years in Moto3. I think it was one of the best Fridays we have had with the Moto2 bike. My confidence is coming back more every time we get out on track, so we’re closer and closer. Let’s see whether we can gain a little bit more time and then see what we’re capable of doing tomorrow. My feeling is much better than at the last two rounds, so we’re closer to being at 100%. I hope to enjoy it tomorrow and have a good.”