Veijer back on row 1 in Barcelona
Collin Veijer from the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 team delivered a strong and ground-breaking qualifying session at the Catalunya Grand Prix, which earned him second place on the grid. Team-mate Tatsuki Suzuki will face the Barcelona challenge on Sunday from 21st on the grid in row seven.
In bright sunshine and summer temperatures, Collin Veijer not only mastered his dominant qualifying with flying colours, but the Dutchman was also always among the top five in the preceding practice sessions. The 19-year-old had no idea how close it would be in qualifying when he began the 15-minute session as one of the top contenders for the pole position. His final attempt to attack was ruined due to yellow flags and he was ultimately just 0.019s off pole, which went to Ivan Ortola this Saturday. The youngster is very confident for the 18-lap race, having already demonstrated his strong solo pace in the practice sessions. Can Veijer take the next step towards becoming one of the title contenders in the world championship battle with another top result?
Tatsuki Suzuki has not had an easy start to the Barcelona weekend so far and inevitably had to master Q1. Unfortunately, the Japanese rider was unable to maintain his personal best time of 1'47.671 from P2 and had to settle for 21st place on the grid in row seven. Despite the challenge ahead, the 26-year-old Suzuki is confident of eradicating his own mistakes before the race on Sunday at 11:00 (CEST) and, thanks to his crew, will be in the best possible shape for the sixth Grand Prix of the year, in which he will try to fight for a good points finish with his Husqvarna.
RESULTS
Free Practice
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 1'46.838
2. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'47.138 (+0.300)
3. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'47.326 (+0.488)
5. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'47.894 (+1.056)
12. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'48.625 (+1.787)
P1
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 1'46.897
2. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'47.055 (+0.158)
3. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ GASGAS – 1'47.136 (+0.239)
4. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'47.152 (+0.255)
18.Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'48.209 (+1.312)
P2
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 1'46.111
2. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'46.781 (+0.670)
3. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'46.893 (+0.782)
4. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'46.921 (+0.810)
20. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'47.671 (+1.560)
Q1
1. Matteo BERTELLE/ ITA/ HONDA – 1'47.766
2. David MUÑOZ/ SPA/ KTM – 1'47.873 (+0.107)
3. Luca LUNETTA/ ITA/ HONDA – 1'48.192 (+0.426)
7. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'48.752 (+0.986)
Q2
1. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'46.749
2. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'46.768 (+0.019)
3. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'47.011 (+0.262)
