PETRONAS Raceline Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin will start Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix from fifth row after he came in 15th in an intense Moto2 qualifying today.
The bike was working well throughout the session but the differences between riders were too close with the top-20 riders separated by less than a second. In the end Hafizh had to be content with his quickest lap of 1’52.466s, clocked during his 10th tour around the 5.2 kilometre circuit.
The team will be looking at making some minor changes to improve the speed of the bike at the turn exits for tomorrow to help Hafizh bridge the gap with the front runners.
Meanwhile pole position went to Sam Lowes 1’51.965s, the only 1’51s of the session ahead of Takaaki Nakagami and Lorenzo Baldassari who locked out front row with 1’52.012s and 1’52.088s respectively.
Hafizh Syahrin, PETRONAS Raceline Malaysia Moto2 rider
It was a good session for me. I was pushing hard as the bike felt good and if I can get more speed coming out from turns, my lap time could have been a bit better. But based on today’s pace, I know I can keep up with the front runners tomorrow. I am counting on having a good start and working myself through the field and get good results for my team and sponsors.
Barry Leong, PETRONAS Raceline Malaysia team manager
It was not easy as everyone was so close together during the session. One small mistake or imperfection in your lap, you will need to start over with a new one. But overall it was good to see that Hafizh was able to consistently put out consistent lap time. If he can repeat today’s pace or improve, he can definitely challenge for a good finish in the race tomorrow.
Moto2 Qualifying Results
- Sam Lowes (GBR) 1’51.965s
- Takaaki Nakagami (JPN) 1’52.012s
- Lorenzo Baldassari (ITA) 1’52.088s
- Axel Pons (SPA) 1’52.091s
- Marcel Schrotter (GER) 1’52.134s
Selected
- Hafizh Syahrin (MAS) 1’52.466s
