30/05/2026

Gonzalez seals spectacular pole position at Mugello with a new lap record

In Saturday’s qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, the 23-year-old Spanish rider was in a league of his own. Setting a new all-time lap record, the championship leader secured his first pole position of the year. Senna Agius will start seventh on Sunday.

LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP’s Moto2 team continues its winning streak at this season’s classic race at the beautiful circuit nestled amidst the picturesque Tuscan countryside.

On Friday, Manuel Gonzalez finished third, just behind the fastest time, while Senna Agius ended up in P10 after the all-important Practice session. This meant both had cleared the hurdle of making it directly into Q2. In Saturday morning’s Free Practice Two, Australian Agius shone with a very strong pace and a second-place finish, while his teammate Gonzalez followed in third.

Everything was in place for a strong showing in qualifying. No sooner said than done! With a time of 1´48.474, Gonzalez not only set a spectacular new Moto2 lap record at Mugello, but the Spaniard also secured his first pole position of the season for the Italian Grand Prix!

Agius, meanwhile, secured seventh place on the grid at Mugello. A minor mistake on his fastest lap cost the Australian rider a potential front-row start, but he remains confident heading into the race.

The race starts at 12:15 p.m. CEST on Sunday.

Moto2™ Qualifying Results:
1 #18 Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 1´48.474
2 Filip SALAC / CZE / OnlyFans American Racing Team / KALEX / 1´48.723 +0.249
3 Alex ESCRIG / SPA / KLINT Racing Team / FORWARD / 1´48.841 +0.367
…
7 #81 Senna AGUIS / AUS / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 1´49.232 +0.758

Manuel Gonzalez

Q2: Pole position – 1´48.474

«I’m really happy and also a bit surprised, because I didn’t expect to be this fast in the end. But I think the conditions helped us, because this morning the grip level was a bit higher and I had some minor difficulties with the bike in the middle of the corners. In the afternoon, however, everything worked perfectly, both with the rear and front tire. My feeling in braking and entering the corner was really good. So, a few small changes to the bike really paid off. Of course, it worked perfectly for these conditions but tomorrow could be a bit different. Right now, though, I’m super happy because it was a perfect lap. I rode my laps alone without a slipstream, and managing to do that is what we have to do. This morning the track was very fast. I clocked a 49.0 and knew I had to improve by two or three tenths of a second. But in the afternoon, when temperatures are much warmer, it’s always difficult to repeat the lap time from the morning. In the end, I improved by half a second. So, we need to look at the data to understand what I did differently in some corners, because I went over the limit in corner entry without losing time in corner exit. That could be key to tomorrow’s race, giving us a slight edge or better cornering speed in certain sections. Nevertheless, the bike is running perfectly. Thanks to the team for their great work.»

Senna Agius

Q2: P7 – 1´49.232 +0.758

«It wasn’t a bad qualifying session, but I was on a lap that might have put me in the top three if I’d been a few tenths faster. However, I made a mistake in the third sector at the end and didn’t manage it. On the other hand, I’m confident that with our race pace, I can fight for the podium tomorrow — or at least a top five finish. With a good start, I think we can have a nice race. We made a step forward with the bike today compared to yesterday, which is important for finding those few tenths at the start of the race more easily. But a good start will be crucial, and I’m fully focused on coming away with a good result.»

#ITALIANGP 2026

Back