20/06/2026

P4 und P5 in a hot Brno qualifying

In a fiercely contested qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, Manuel Gonzalez and Senna Agius finished fourth and fifth respectively. Whilst Agius will start the race from the second row of the grid, Gonzalez will be demoted to 13th on the grid following a nine-place grid penalty.

Manuel Gonzalez started the season’s round nine in exactly the same way as he had finished the previous races. By setting the fastest time on Friday morning, he made his intentions very clear right from the start.

When the all-important qualifying session was due to take place on Saturday afternoon, the tarmac at the Automotodrom Brno had heated up to 50 degrees, making the track very slippery. Gonzalez managed to improve his time at the last minute, moving him up to fourth place. However, following the session, the Spanish rider was penalised by race control with a nine-place grid penalty for slowly riding on the racing line.

Senna Agius was every bit as good as his team-mate and championship leader Gonzalez. A fourth-place finish on Friday morning and fifth place in Practice session paved the way for him to progress directly to Q2. With lap times only slightly behind the frontrunners, the 21-year-old Australian rider proved that he is a force to be reckoned with this weekend too. Agius and his crew used Saturday morning to fine-tune the bike’s set-up for the race.

The two riders from the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP team produced an unusual result in the final practice session ahead of qualifying: Manuel Gonzalez and Senna Agius both set exactly the same lap time. As Gonzalez had set the lap first, Agius was listed in sixth place on the timesheet. During qualifying, the Australian confirmed his strong pace and only narrowly missed his team-mate’s time, which earned him fifth on the grid.

The race on Sunday starts at 12.15 CEST.

Moto2™ Qualifying Results:
1 David ALONSO / COL / CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team / KALEX / 1´57.718
2 Filip SALAC / CZE / OnlyFans American Racing Team / KALEX / 1´57.923 +0.205
3 Daniel HOLGADO / SPA / CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team / KALEX / 1´58.107 +0.389
4 #18 Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 1´58.113 +0.395
5 #81 Senna AGUIS / AUS / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 1´58.137 +0.419

Manuel Gonzalez

Q2: P4 – 1´58.113 + 0.395

«It was so difficult to put in a perfect lap, because in this heat it’s very easy to make mistakes. If you try to open to push a bit more, the bike starts to slide. So, it wasn’t easy to ride a flawless lap. But ultimately it wasn’t too bad, considering that we were still struggling a bit with the new tyres yesterday and again this morning. In the end, we’ve once again managed to achieve our goal of securing fourth place after qualifying. We’re exactly where we need to be, and the bike is performing really well at race pace. So, I think we’re well prepared. For the race, however, we need a good start – we have to try to be amongst the leaders on the first lap – and then look after the tyres and avoid pushing too hard, because the race is very long, and in these high temperatures the tyres can easily overheat, which isn’t easy to manage towards the end of the race. Nevertheless, I believe we’re really strong towards the end of the race. So, we’ll try to be right up there at the front and set our own pace.»

Senna Agius

Q2: P5 – 1´58.137 +0.419

«Starting from the second row of the grid is good. We’ve worked really well towards the race, and throughout the weekend I’ve felt a bit better under race conditions – by that I mean setting up the bike for Sunday and doing longer runs with a bit less grip. With the afternoon temperatures, which will be similar tomorrow, I feel a bit better. Qualifying went well, because yesterday I was still struggling a bit to ride at the limit in a flying lap. So, I feel we’ve taken a step forward, and starting from the middle of the second row is a good position for tomorrow. I’m happy with that – thanks to the lads. Tomorrow will be a long race, but I feel better than ever for the race. It’s good to be consistent on another track, and I feel we’re in a good phase at the moment because the bike is performing well on every track. So, I’m looking forward to tomorrow, to having a good race and picking up more points.»

#CzechGP 2026

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