08/11/2026

Gonzalez extends again World Championship lead with a sixth place in Qatar

Both Moto2 riders from the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Team tackled the challenging conditions during the night race at the Lusail International Circuit and crossed the finish line in sixth and seventh place. Particularly encouraging: With ten World Championship points earned, Manuel Gonzalez was able to extend his lead in Moto2 World Championship.

This weekend's Qatar round proved to be a real test for Manuel Gonzalez and his teammate Senna Agius. This was especially true for the Spaniard Gonzalez, who is in the midst of a nail-biting battle for the Moto2 title.

Manuel Gonzalez, who had posted the second-fastest time in qualifying on Saturday evening with an incredibly strong final lap, had to start the race from fifth place on the second row due to a grid penalty. With a good start and a determined first lap, he made it clear that he wanted to finish the third-last Grand Prix of the season on the podium.

As the race progressed, it became increasingly difficult to keep up with the pace at the front. Gonzalez therefore focused on holding his position and finishing the race as best he could. With a sixth-place finish, the 24-year-old secured ten more World Championship points. Since his direct title rival, Izan Guevara, was forced to retire four laps before the end of the race, Gonzalez was able to extend his lead in the overall standings to 13.5 points. With two races remaining in the season, he thus continues to hold the World Championship lead, a position he has held since March 29. The Portuguese Grand Prix in two weeks will therefore offer him his first chance to clinch the title early.

Instead of starting from sixth on the grid, Senna Agius also had to move back one row due to a grid penalty and began the race from ninth place. The Australian gained two positions on the first lap but then temporarily dropped back to tenth place. From there, Agius fought his way back up the field bit by bit until he reached seventh place, where he crossed the finish line right behind Gonzalez.

The spectacular floodlit race in the Qatari desert marked the conclusion of the long Asia/Australia tour, which spanned the last six weeks. With the Portuguese Grand Prix coming up in two weeks, the championship is now entering the home stretch. An exciting lead-up to the season finale a week later in Valencia is practically guaranteed.

Moto2™ Race Classification (18 Laps):
1 Daniel HOLGADO / SPA / CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team / KALEX / 35´13.340
2 Ivan ORTOLA / SPA / QJMOTOR - MSI / KALEX / +2.265
3 Alex ESCRIG / SPA / KLINT Racing Team / FORWARD / +2.285
…
6 #18 Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / +8.396
7 #81 Senna AGIUS / AUS / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / +9.034

Moto2™ World Standings:
1 #18 Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / KALEX / 286,5
2 IZAN GUEVARA / SPA / BOSCOSCURO / 273
3 Ivan ORTOLA / SPA / KALEX / 219,5
…
6 #81 Senna AGIUS / AUS / KALEX / 175

Moto2™ Team Standings:
1 LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP 461,5
2 CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team 419
3 BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 290,5

Manuel Gonzalez

Race: P6 +8.396
Moto2 World Championship 2026: P1 - 286,5 Points

«It was a very difficult race and not at all what I had imagined for today. We had really good pace on Friday and yesterday, and I felt very comfortable with the bike, both with new and used tires. Today, though, it was completely different.»

«Things were going well on the first few laps, and I was able to stay with the group. But after about five laps, the bike wouldn't turn properly into the corners, and my lap times started to slow down. The tire just wasn’t performing the way it should have. So, I tried to adjust my riding style a bit to stay with the group as long as possible. But that was impossible. So, I just tried to finish the race as best I could.»

«Of course, sixth place wasn’t the result we’d hoped for. Still, we’re taking home ten points from here, and that’s definitely a positive. We always want more, we want to win races, but with an eye toward the championship, today’s result is a good one. Now we’ll analyze the data so we’re fully prepared for Portugal and can keep pushing. The gap isn’t particularly large, so we’ll have to give it 100 percent again there. Plus, Portimão is a track where I’ve always felt very comfortable. That’s why we’ll try to enjoy the weekend once again.»

Senna Agius

Race: P7 +9.034
Moto2 World Championship 2026: P6 – 175 Points

«The race wasn't bad, even though I'd hoped for more. The bike felt pretty good, and I handled the grip situation quite well. At least I felt like I was handling it better than the riders around me. The limiting factors were acceleration and top speed, which made it pretty difficult to close the gap, because I was often passed on the straights. Still, I was riding well, and the feeling with the tires was good, too. Unfortunately, I lost too much ground on the straights and couldn’t control it. A big thank you to the guys in the pit for their great work. Even if the result on paper doesn’t suggest it, the feeling is definitely there. We just need to squeeze out that last bit of performance to get back to good results and back on the path to victory. I don’t think we’re far off, but we need to improve a few things and figure out how to get that last percent out of our bike.»

Jürgen Lingg

Team Manager

«It was definitely a pretty nerve-wracking weekend, because the situation in the championship is getting more and more intense. We all know we can’t afford any more mistakes. Still, both our riders had good pace and were able to post strong lap times. Things were looking very good in qualifying, too, at first. Manu set an absolutely incredible time on his final lap and qualified in second place, which was obviously great and made us feel pretty confident heading into the race. Senna was also in a good position in sixth place.»

«But then we received a penalty, which caused both of our riders to be moved back one row on the starting grid. That, of course, made our starting position a bit more difficult again. So, we were all pretty tense today. Added to that was the question of tire choice. Neither rider felt comfortable with the hard front tire, while we knew that with the softer tire, things could get tight toward the end of the race. Given how the race unfolded, it wasn’t easy to gauge whether the tire would last until the end and how the riders would manage the distance with it.»

«In the end, we came away with sixth and seventh place. However, I definitely think there was more potential today. We have to accept the result, learn from it and make sure we do a better job in Portimão in two weeks’ time.»

#QatarGP Sunday

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