Moto2 Red Bull Ring 1 Qualifying: Pole position and new record for Remy Gardner

After winning the first two free practice sessions, Sam Lowes also dominated FP3 of the Austrian Grand Prix in the Moto2 category, fifth round of the 2020 World Championship. The Team Marc VDS rider stopped the clock with a time of 1:28.877, just 73 thousandths ahead of Australian Remy Gardner (SAG Team). Third and fourth, Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Enea Bastianini (Team Italtrans) preceded Aron Canet on Speed ​​Up of Team Aspar and Marco Bezzecchi (teammate Marini). Xavi Virginie on the Kalex of Team Petronas was seventh and ahead of Somkiat Chantra (Team Asia), Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull Ajo) and Thomas Luthi (IntactGP) who closes the Top Ten.

In addition to the aforementioned drivers, Jake Dixon, Augusto Fernández and Jorge Martin also entered Q2 directly. Forced into the Q1 “trap” among others: Stefano Manzi, Joe Roberts, Marcel Schrotter, Nicolò Bulega and Lorenzo Baldassarri. To give an idea of ​​how hard-fought the session was, just think that the top 16 are closed in half a second and that heralds some fiery qualifying. Here they are. Before getting stuck into it, here is the table which summarizes the facts…

Moto2™ Austria 1	2019	2020
FP1	1'29.264 Augusto Fernandez	1'29.133 Sam Lowes
FP2	1'29.029 Brad Binder	1'28.985 Sam Lowes
FP3	1'28.811 Mattia Pasini	1'28.877 Sam Lowes
Q1	1'29.139 Iker Lecuona	1'28.944 Marcel Schrotter
Q2	1'28.718 Tetsuta Nagashima	1'28.681 Remy Gardner
Warm-up	1'35.760 Philipp Oëttl
Course	Binder, Marquez, Navarro (see here)
All time lap record	1'28.718 Tetsuta Nagashima 2019	1'28.681 Remy Gardner

It's 26° in the air and 38° on the track. The sun is partly present on this Spielberg route which is dry.

The drivers will have 15 minutes of driving in this Q1 session:

It is Syarhin who positioned himself at the top of the basket by signing in 1st the best time of the session, clocking 1.29.529s. He is ahead Schrotter, Roberts and Baldassari. It is urgently echoed by Roberts and Schrotter, the American achieving a lap time of 1.28.944s.

Baldassari is the 3rd man in the peloton with a time of 1.29.351s, Syarhin is relegated to 4th place.

There are 4 minutes left, and the potential nominees for Q2 are: Schrotter which runs in 1.28.944s in front Roberts (also in 1.28.944s), Bulega et Baldassari.

End of session and the top4 for Q2 is made up of Schrotter, Roberts, Bulega and Baldassari.

Complete Q1 ranking:

 

Q2 session which will last 15min:

Session delayed following computer problem announced by race management.

The pit lane will be open again at 15:45 p.m.

Business is getting back to normal and it’s Gardner before Canet et Dixon who leads the dance. But bastianini, absent since the start of the Austrian weekend, raises his head and signs the best provisional time of the session in 1.29.202s. It is taken over by Canet very fit in front Marini et Luthi, he set a lap time of 1.28.814s.

kick of Chantra in turn 7

Fall Nagashima in turn 9.

Martin went on the offensive and regained leadership of the session by setting a time of 1.28.717s. He is ahead bastianini et Canet. Gardner et Lowes make up the top5.

Schrotter, came back strongly and took 2nd place. It is dislodged there with the performance of Gardner who takes the lead with a time of 1.28.681s, Martin is 2th, Schrotter 3e.

kick of Virgin in turn 6

There are 48 seconds left before the end of the session and it's Gardner who finally took pole position in front Martin, Schrotter, Bastianini et Canet.

Full results: