Aron Canet felt there was more to come from himself and his Elf Marc VDS Racing Team package after qualifying 16th, and is confident of a Sunday fightback, while Deniz Öncü ended the day in 23rd. 

Saturday witnessed the eighth qualifying sessions of the 2026 Moto2 season around the slow, tight 4.8km Balaton Park Circuit in central Hungary.

If Friday was overcast and cool, Saturday was clear and warm. Temperatures were up by two degrees in Practice when compared to the previous day, and sat at 24 degrees when Moto2 Q1 started at 13:40 local time.

The eighth Moto2 race of 2026 kicks off on Sunday at 12:15 local time and will be held over 22 laps.

Aron Canet, 16th – 1’41.145 

Resolving to spend as much time on track as possible this weekend, Aron posted a mini race simulation in FP2. While only 18th fastest, his rhythm over 18 laps was exceptional, with eleven laps coming in the 1’41s.

Lining up in Q1, Aron’s second flying lap of 1’41.126 was good enough for fourth in the session, 0.3s back of pace setter Alonso Lopez.

The 26-year old almost matched his Q1 time in his first run of Q2, but didn’t have a fresh set of tyres for his second exit. That meant he was unable to improve. In a tight session, Aron was just 0.8s off pole sitter Izan Guevara.

“I felt quite fast and consistent in FP2 so there’s reason to believe we can achieve”

Aron’s comments:

“We passed directly through to Q2, which was the goal of the afternoon. But we didn’t manage to improve like we expected. But at the same time, we didn’t have a fresh set of tyres for the final exit so we know our potential for tomorrow is higher than the result today. I will see how it is in the first laps. We’ll try to stay out of trouble through the first few corners and then start making up places. I felt quite fast and consistent in FP2 so there’s reason to believe we can achieve a solid result tomorrow. Let’s try and do it.” 

Deniz Öncü, 23rd – 1’41.560  

Like his team-mate, Deniz was keen to see his speed over an 18-lap run in FP2. 19th fastest at the end, eleven of the 22-year old’s time were in the 1’41s. What’s more, his fastest lap came the 14th time around.

Deniz set his quickest time in Q1 on his second flying lap which was originally good enough for seventh when he pitted for new rubber.

The Turkish rider was on course to jump up further but found his final flying lap was cancelled due to yellow flags shown for another rider’s crash. That lap would’ve have lifted him to fifth in Q1. As it was, he was ninth and 23rd overall.

“I can do a lot better than where we ended up” 

Deniz’s comments:

“So, my first qualifying here in Balaton Park is done. I’m really not happy with how we finished qualifying. I can do a lot better than where we ended up and the potential was a lot better than that. We just have to find a way to improve myself and how I’m riding in the time attack. This morning showed we are not so far away when we do the longer race runs. But tomorrow will be a long race. I’ll just try to do my best. Let’s continue working and see if we can gain some places like last Sunday in Italy.”