While the MotoGP and Moto3 titles have already been decided, the final two rounds of the Moto2 season are far from uninteresting! On the contrary, the battle between Manuel Gonzalez and Diogo Moreira for the world title has never been so intense. Heading into Portugal, the Brazilian leads the overall standings, nine points ahead of his closest rival: he therefore has his first opportunity to clinch the world crown. To do so, he must leave Portimao with a 26-point advantage over his opponent. Thirty-five points behind the leader, Barry Baltus should not be ruled out either. The Belgian could spring a surprise if his rivals underperform and remain in contention for the title in the final round of the championship in Valencia.
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Moto2™ Portimao, Portugal |
2024 |
2025 |
| FP1 | 1'44.900 Manuel Gonzalez | 1'41.460 Aron Canet |
| Practice | 1'42.362 Alonso Lopez | 1'41.210 Aron Canet |
| FP2 | 1'41.716 Manuel Gonzalez | 1'58.211 Alex Escrig |
| Q1 | 1'42.064 Somkiat Chantra | 1'41.555 Daniel Munoz |
| Q2 | 1'41.514 Manuel Gonzalez | 1'41.168 Diogo Moreira |
| Course | Canet, Roberts, Gonzalez (See here) | |
| All time lap record | 1'41.514 Manuel Gonzalez 2024 |
Qualification 1:
Unlike the morning session, where FP2 took place on a wet track, the Moto2 Portuguese Grand Prix qualifying session was held in dry conditions! In Q1, Filip Salac appeared to be the clear favorite before the first laps. However, it was Daniel Munoz who first set the fastest provisional time, clocking a 1:41.555 ahead of the Czech rider.
Despite numerous attempts by the Marc VDS rider, he remained second in the standings, behind number 17. This result, however, was enough to propel him into Q2. Zonta van der Goorbergh and Alex Escrig, the fastest rider in FP2, joined them.
Qualification 2:
In Q2, Jake Dixon was the first to stand out, with a lap time of 1:41.185. He moved ahead of Diogo Moreira, while Manuel Gonzalez was 13th after the first runs. But things could still change a lot in this Moto2 Q2 session at the Portuguese GP.
This was without taking into account the rapid attempts of Barry Baltus, who moved into provisional second position after his fourth qualifying lap. Another major incident in Q2 was Jake Dixon's crash just minutes before the end of the allotted time.
At the checkered flag, Diogo Moreira snatched pole position, finishing a few thousandths of a second ahead of Jake Dixon. Collin Vijer caused a surprise, completing the front row. The Fantic riders will be ones to watch tomorrow! Barry Baltus and Aron Canet qualified 4th and 5th respectively.
Importantly for the championship, Manuel Gonzalez is only 8th in these qualifying sessions. He has a lot of work to do to climb back up the standings and keep his title hopes alive.
Moto2 Portugal – Q2 standings:
Ranking : MotoGP.com
