Gonzalez on the hunt for the title from row three in Portimão, Agius within striking distance
In the Moto2 qualifying session at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Intact GP rider Manuel Gonzalez secured seventh place on the third row of the grid, putting him in a promising position for the title fight, even though his final fast lap was cancelled due to a yellow flag. Team-mate Senna Agius will start the penultimate race of the season from 13th place on the fifth row after a strong performance in practice.
Under changeable conditions in Portugal's Algarve region, title favourite Manuel Gonzalez once again demonstrated his consistency and strength. With eighth place in FP1 and an impressive fourth place in practice, the Spaniard underlined his ambitions in the World Championship battle. The fact that the high-calibre Moto2 field is very close together is illustrated by the minimal gap of just 0.331 seconds to pole-setter and World Championship rival Diogo Moreira in Q2. Gonzalez's promising attack on the fastest time was stopped in the final minute by yellow flags after Aron Canet's crash, resulting in eighth place – an unfortunate moment, but one that in no way detracts from his speed. With strong pace and great determination, the 23-year-old will give his all from seventh position on Sunday at 11:15 local time (CET +1h) following Muñoz's grid penalty, in order to regain the championship lead and travel to the grand finale in Valencia with momentum on his side.
Teammate Senna Agius also made a convincing start to the weekend. The Australian excelled in the first free practice session, finishing third, and followed this up with fifth place in practice on Friday afternoon. After overnight rain, the asphalt was still very wet in FP2, so both he and his teammate only used the final minutes to make final adjustments for qualifying. In Q2, Agius found a good rhythm and clocked a 1:41.749, which earned him 14th place. Due to a grid penalty for a competitor, the 20-year-old moves up to 13th position and will start the race highly motivated from row five and confident of delivering a strong result in Portimão.
Results
FP1
1. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.460
2. Jake DIXON/ GBR/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'41.623 (+0.163)
3. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – 1'41.689 (+0.229)
8. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.793 (+0.333)
PR
1. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.210
2. Jake DIXON/ GBR/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'41.402 (+0.192)
3. Albert ARENAS/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.658 (+0.448)
4. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.751 (+0.541)
5. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – 1'41.751 (+0.541)
FP2
1. Alex ESCRIG/ SPA/ FORWARD – 1'58.105
2. Sergio GARCIA/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'58.251 (+0.146
3. Mario AJI/ INA/ KALEX – 1'58.802 (+0.697)
Not classified
Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX
Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX
Q2
1. Diogo MOREIRA/ BRA/ KALEX – 1'41.168
2. Jake DIXON/ GBR/ BOSCOSCURO – 1'41.185 (+0.017)
3. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ KALEX – 1'41.317 (+0.149)
8. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – 1'41.499 (+0.331)
14. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – 1'41.749 (+0.581)
