Gonzalez and Agius to start Malaysian Grand Prix from rows three and four

For the two Moto2 riders of the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Team, qualifying at a scorching Sepang circuit didn't go quite as hoped. A lack of grip and high track temperatures were playing their part for Manuel Gonzalez securing ninth on the grid and Senna Agius taking twelfth.

Amid the heat of Southeast Asia, LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP’s Moto2 team focused primarily on preparing for the race, which is expected to feature extremely challenging conditions, during the practice sessions on Friday and Saturday morning. Nevertheless, Manuel Gonzalez and Senna Agius demonstrated their potential with competitive lap times.

Manuel Gonzalez wasn't deterred by a crash on Friday morning; he set the fastest time in the afternoon and thus went into qualifying as one of the favourites. During the 15-minute session to determine the best starting positions, however, the 24-year-old Spaniard struggled with grip and ultimately finished in ninth place. Knowing that his race pace is very strong, the championship leader is still hoping for a good result in the fourth-to-last race of the season, where he will start from the third row. 

Teammate Senna Agius is also putting in solid performances at the massive Sepang International Circuit. Advancing directly to Q2 was no major hurdle for the 21-year-old Australian, who finished 11th in Friday’s Practice session. However, a scare during qualifying prevented him from securing a better result than the 12th starting position for Sunday’s race. Agius remains confident, though, that he can continue to make up ground in the overall standings with a strong points haul in the race.

The race will start on Sunday at 1:15 p.m. local time, which is 6:15 a.m. CET in Europe.

Moto2™ Qualifying Results:
1 Daniel HOLGADO / SPA / CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team / KALEX / 2´02.875
2 Angel PIQUERAS / SPA / QJMOTOR - MSI / KALEX / 2´03.416 +0.541
3 Izan GUEVARA / SPA / BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 / BOSCOSCURO / 2´03.486 +0.611
…
9 #18 Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 2´03.734 +0.859
12 #81 Senna AGUIS / AUS / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 2´04.009 +1.134