A determined Deniz Öncü rose through Q1 to secure his best qualifying position of the 2026 season at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday, while Aron Canet was 20th.

Heavy overnight rain meant the Red Bull Ring was damp but drying during Moto2 FP2 on Saturday morning, with few riders deciding to risk a fall.

But the track surface had dried out come qualifying in the early afternoon with ambient temperatures hitting 21 degrees.

Elf Marc VDS Racing Team duo Aron Canet and Deniz Öncü are eager to face Sunday’s 23-lap race, which kicks off at 12:15 local time.

Aron Canet, 20th – 1’33.272

Despite the iffy conditions, Aron emerged in the latter stages of FP2 to set the third fastest time.

Aron posted three 1’33 laps in succession at the start of Q1. On his final run he was able to shave four tenths off his personal best, but was cruelly pushed out of the top four with moments remaining.

The 26-year old struggled in the track’s final sector through the day and will work with his team to improve that area ahead of tomorrow.

“We know our pace is quite good and tomorrow will be a long race” 

Aron’s comments:

“A disappointing end to the day. Yesterday was one of the better Fridays of the year but once again we couldn’t turn that into a good qualifying performance. It’s frustrating. I really gave it my all in Q1 there. At one point I saw my name in P1 and thought I had done enough to progress. So, it’s a real shame to find out I was out. Anyway, we have to focus on the positives. We know our pace is quite good and tomorrow will be a long race. The first lap here can be so difficult, but if we make up some places, I’m still confident of fighting toward the top ten.”

Deniz Öncü, 12th – 1’33.106 

Keen to gain experience in wetter conditions, Deniz spent a good deal of time on track in FP2, posting 15 laps in total. Only one name lapped the track more. He ended the session in fourth.

The 23-year old topped Q1 with an excellent time of 1’32.930 to progress through to Q2.

And the Turkish rider was immediately on the front foot in Q2 to set the twelfth fastest time of the afternoon to mark his best qualifying performance of 2026 to date.

“The goal will be to score the maximum number of points as possible” 

Deniz’s comments:

“We finished the qualifying day here in Austria. It was a positive day. After yesterday we’ve made a step in front. I was feeling better in almost every part of the track and had more confidence with the front end. That’s a big boost which we’ll take in to tomorrow. We’ll start tomorrow’s race from the fourth row, which is good. I think this is our best qualifying of the year. Tomorrow will be a long race. I’ll try to do my best and the goal will be to score the maximum number of points as possible. I think we can do a good job.”