Le Mans qualifying gives Veijer grid row 2 & Suzuki row 5
Each year, the French Grand Prix offers thrilling racing and the practice and qualifying sessions of the fifth round of the season were in no way inferior. LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer finally secured fifth place on the second row of the grid in the battle for pole position, while Suzuki will start the Le Mans GP from 14th on row five.
If you look at Collin Veijer's work during a race weekend, you can see how the Dutchman gradually improves with each session in order to be able to fully attack in qualifying. This was also the case on the 4.19-kilometre Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, where the 19-year-old was second fastest ahead of the 15-minute Q2 qualifying session. The Intact GP rider was also in the lead at times but ultimately had to settle for P5, 0.679s off the pole pace after yellow flags cancelled out his final time attack. But even from the second row of the grid, all options are open to the latest GP winner to duel for the top positions again in the French Grand Prix.
Tatsuki Suzuki, meanwhile, experienced a bit of a rollercoaster ride. The Japanese rider got off to a strong start on Friday with fifth place in free practice but then slipped back a little, which meant he initially had to fear and fight for progress in Q1. Thanks to a strong attack, the 26-year-old was fourth fastest in the all-important Q2 but was unable to match the pace of the front runners. Before Suzuki starts his race on Sunday at 11:00 (CEST) from 14th on the grid in row five, he and his crew will work on the final tweaks to his Husqvarna in order to be able to fight for a good top 10 result in the 20-lap race in front of a full house with everything at his disposal.
RESULTS
Free Practice
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 1'40.792
2. Filippo FARIOLI/ ITA/ HONDA – 1'41.580 (+0.788)
3. Scott OGDEN/ GBR/ HONDA - 1'41.779 (+0.987)
5. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'41.855 (+1.063)
10. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'41.921 (+1.129)
P1
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 1'40.470
2. Joel ESTEBAN/ SPA/ CFMOTO – 1'40.950 (+0.480)
3. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ GASGAS – 1'41.056 (+0.586)
5. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'41.215 (+0.745)
7. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'41.310 (+0.840)
P2
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 1'40.121
2. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'40.523 (+0.402)
3. Ryusei YAMANAKA/ JPN/ KTM – 1'40.597 (+0.476)
18. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'41.308 (+1.187)
Q1
1. Jacob ROULSTONE/ AUS/ GASGAS – 1'41.370
2. Luca LUNETTA/ ITA/ HONDA – 1'41.574 (+0.204)
3. Scott OGDEN/ GBR/ HONDA – 1'41.635 (+0.265)
4. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'41.694 (+0.324)
Q2
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 1'40.114
2. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ GASGAS – 1'40.125 (+0.011)
3. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'40.426 (+0.312)
5. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'40.793 (+0.679)
14. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'41.204 (+1.090)
