Veijer back on row one (P2) and Suzuki secures top 10 start (P9) at Silverstone
At the British Grand Prix, Collin Veijer from the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 team got going as if there had never been a three-week summer break. After setting a new lap record, the Dutchman finally snatched second place on the grid, while Tatsuki Suzuki also secured a good starting position for the tenth Grand Prix of the year with P9 on row three.
Moto3 title contender Collin Veijer's weekends are almost always the same. In free practice, he works intensively on the set-up of his Husqvarna and pays less attention to lap times. This is in stark contrast to the two practice sessions on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, where the Dutchman not only set the fastest practice lap on the British track with his 2'09.565 in P1 but also broke the existing lap record. Although the 19-year-old temporarily lost ground in P2, he still went into Qualifying 2 as one of the favourites, where he again fought for pole position with targeted attacks all on his own. In the end, the youngster was just 0.041s off pole man Ivan Ortola, who caught the perfect momentum in the slipstream to not only break Veijer's lap record but also to take the lead in Q2.
While the top battle in qualifying was heating up, Japanese Moto3 rider Tatsuki Suzuki was also fighting for a strong result, with the aim of contesting the 15-lap race on Sunday at 12:15 (CEST) from a promising position. In ninth place, the 26-year-old Suzuki finally lined up in Q2, paving the way for a thrilling British Grand Prix. But Suzuki had already attracted attention on Friday with a strong third place in free practice, which was followed by a seventh place in P1 and P14 in the second qualifying session and also secured him a direct Q2 entry.
The German LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 team and its two regular riders are full of vigour and optimism as they head into battle on the fast, 5.901 km Silverstone Circuit, hoping to add many more world championship points to their tally.
Results
FP
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 2'09.600
2. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 2'09.983 (+0.383)
3. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 2'10.150 (+0.550)
13. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 2'11.032 (+1.432)
P1
1. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 2'09.565
2. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 2'09.952 (+0.387)
3. Jacob ROULSTONE/ AUS/ GASGAS – 2'10.038 (+0.473)
7. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 2'10.184 (+0.619)
P2
1. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ GASGAS – 2'09.586
2. Angel PIQUERAS/ SPA/ HONDA – 2'10.026 (+0.440)
3. Joel KELSO/ AUS/ KTM – 2'10.040 (+0.454)
12. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 2'10.885 (+1.299)
14. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 2'10.944 (+1.358)
Q2
1. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 2'09.270
2. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 2'09.311 (+0.041)
3. Joel KELSO/ AUS/ KTM – 2'09.753 (+0.483)
9. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 2'10.454 (+1.184)
