Celestino Vietti finished in ninth position, with Deniz Öncü in fifteenth place.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo concluded the Qatar Grand Prix on a high note. Both Celestino Vietti and Deniz Öncü had a good race, with the former moving up to ninth and the latter fifteenth.

Vietti started the first race of the season from the sixth row of the grid, in 16th. He remained in that spot during the early stages of the race, studying the situation and looking for the best moment to attack. After the midway point, Vietti increased the pace and began to climb up the order, going on to fight for the Top 10. The Italian was able to control the situation in a race in which tyre management was essential. After 18 laps, Vietti finally placed ninth in his first Grand Prix with Red Bull KTM Ajo.

Öncü contested his first Moto2 race this Sunday. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider started from 21st on the grid, and gained confidence over the course of the race, moving up positions and edging closer to the Top 15. During a demanding battle he made progress, reached the points positions and secured 15th place, finishing inside the points in his first experience in the intermediate class.

Round 2, the Portuguese Grand Prix, will be held from March 22nd-24th at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“Even the results weren’t top today, we feel positive in Moto2. As we all know, it’s a challenging year with a new tyre manufactures and new WP suspensions for this year. It’s like a learning process for all of us but in any case it was a promising weekend and especially a promising race day. We caught lot of information to understand the new package and both of our riders were constant and quite strong at the end of the race. With Cele’s experience and Deniz as a talented rookie we feel that in the next races we will be closer to the top.”

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI

“The race was quite good for us. We understood the new tyres well, and how we have to manage the race. It’s interesting to know that and continue improving for the next races. We lacked something at the beginning of the race, but we know which points we have to do better in the next few races. Thanks to my team for all their work during the weekend. We will try to do better in Portimao.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“We finished our first weekend of the season and it was a very good experience for me in order to improve more for the coming races. At the moment our pace is not the best but I’ll use this experience to improve. I took my first point on my debut so I’m motivated to improve and do better and better every race. Now it’s time to work hard and understand everything to get more competitive.”

Jose Antonio Rueda and Vicente Perez both DNF in Lusail despite the good feelings during the weekend.

The Qatar Grand Prix did not end as expected for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team. After starting from the front row, Jose Antonio Rueda suffered a crash on Lap 2, whilst Vicente Perez also crashed out after fighting for the top positions until the closing laps.

Rueda had been strong all weekend at the Lusail International Circuit, achieving third place on the Moto3 grid. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider got off the line well, maintaining his position and even fighting to move up the order. He briefly led when the front group was still tight, but unfortunately crashed on the second lap, ending his race much earlier than expected and denying him a chance to battle for the victory in Qatar.

Perez made steady progress in the Qatar Grand Prix. The Spanish rider, who started from ninth position, had a very good feeling from the beginning of the race. After maintaining his place on the opening laps. Perez increased the pace and began to get involved in the front group, where there were constant changes in positions. In the final stretch, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider fought to get into the Top 5, but an unexpected crash prevented him from finishing the contest and completing the weekend with a great result.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo will return to action in a fortnight’s time at the Portuguese Grand Prix, from March 22nd-24th.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“We are disappointed about the race, as both of our riders crashed out. In any case, we need to be quite positive about the performances from testing and also here in Qatar. Rueda has shown that he is one of the fastest riders in the class and we are certain that -with a little bit of better luck- we will fight for the top positions with him constantly. Vicente has not been testing so much with us, so considering this, he had a really great weekend, without any big mistakes. Unfortunately he had a crash caused by another rider, but we are looking forward to the second race with him.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“It was not the end to the Grand Prix that we had hoped for, because the race ended very early for us. I made a mistake at the first corner and I had a crash in which another rider also went down, so I want to apologise for that. We can take away the positive aspects of the weekend, as we have to learn from this and come back stronger in Portimao.”

#21 VICENTE PEREZ

“It was a good race, in which I managed the tyre well. At the end of the race I had something more to give, so I started to make up positions and I wanted to try to reach the podium spots, but another rider crashed in front of me and I couldn’t finish the race. I want to thank everyone for the work that they have done; they have given everything so that I could be at the front today. Now it’s time to try hard in the next race in Portugal and get a good result.”  

Results (Race)

1. David Alonso (CFMoto) 33:19.778

2. ⁠Daniel Holgado (GasGas) + 0.041

3. ⁠Taiyo Furusato (Honda) + 0.143

4. ⁠Ricardo Rossi (KTM) + 0.186

5. ⁠Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) +0.338

DNF Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

DNF Vicente Perez (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2024

1. David Alonso (CFMoto) 25 points

2. Daniel Holgado (GasGas) 20 points

3. Taiyo Furusato (Honda) 16 points

4. ⁠Ricardo Rossi (KTM) 13 points

5. ⁠Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) 11 points

20. Vicente Perez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 0 points

25. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 0 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2023

1. CFMoto Aspar Team 30 points

2. Red Bull GasGas Tech3 26 points

3. Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP 20 points

4. Honda Team Asia 16 points

5. CIP Green Power 13 points

NC. Red Bull KTM Ajo 0 points