Moto2: For the first time in Moto2, David Alonso (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) will launch from pole position after converting a dominant Friday into a P1 on Saturday afternoon – or at least that’s what we thought.
The 2024 Moto3 World Champion set a storming 2:05.203, a new all-time lap record, to finish just under a tenth and a half ahead of second place Barry Baltus (REDS Fantic Racing), but a post-qualifying tyre pressure penalty means the Colombian will start the Moto2 race from P17. Meanwhile, World Championship pacesetter Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) is only P15 on the starting line having come through Q1.
That means it’s a revitalised Baltus who will start from pole position, with the Belgian starting from the front row for the first time this year despite a late tumble in Q2. Alonso Lopez (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) beat compatriot Angel Piqueras (QJMOTOR – GALFER – MSI) to the front row, but in the end, the rookie is promoted to P3 following Alonso’s misfortune – but the Spaniard faces a double Long Lap penalty on Sunday.
Celestino Vietti (HDR SpeedRS Team) and Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) are now P4 and P5 on the grid in the United States, KLINT Racing Team’s Alex Escrig now jumps up to Row 2 in P6, with Agius’s teammate Manuel Gonzalez starting from P9 after setting a time good enough for P10. That means the top two in the championship don’t feature on the front three rows on the grid.
Home hero Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) will be hunting a good points haul from 10th on the grid, that’s the Californian’s best qualifying result of 2026, as we now strap in for what looks set to be a Moto2 cracker at COTA on Sunday, with Alonso aiming to carve his way through the pack in the pursuit of victory.
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