Qualifying
Moto2 2026
Round 15
Improved Pace, Tough Grid: Aji & Furusato Ready to Fight in tomorrow’s race in Austria
Red Bull Ring - SpielbergIdemitsu Honda Team Asia will start Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix from P18 and P21, with Mario Suryo Aji and Taiyo Furusato respectively, after a challenging qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring. Despite the starting positions not reflecting their progress, both riders showed improved feeling and pace compared with Friday and will aim to turn that progress into a strong race performance. Furusato gains one position on the starting grid following the withdrawal of another rider, moving from his qualifying position of P21 to P20 for Sunday’s race.
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Rain in the morning left the track wet for the final free practice session. Aji opted not to take any unnecessary risks, preserving his feeling and focusing on qualifying, while Furusato took the opportunity to gain valuable track time, completing the session in P8.
In qualifying, Furusato who had to go through Q1 and came extremely close to advancing to Q2, finishing seventh with a 1’33.418. With only small margins separating the riders, a few tenths made the difference. Aji, who had secured direct access to Q2 on Friday, also showed competitive pace but a mistake on his final push lap prevented him from improving further. He eventually qualified P18 with a 1’33.439.
Both riders will therefore face a challenging race, but with their feeling continuing to improve, the team remains focused on fighting forward throughout the 23-lap Austrian Grand Prix.
Hiroshi Aoyama
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IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Qualifying was a little difficult because the conditions were mixed in the morning, so we couldn’t properly check the setup during the free practice session. Qualifying was dry, but we only had 15 minutes to work with the settings and give both riders the opportunity to improve their lap times.
I would say both riders showed consistent pace and improvement, and their feeling with the bike was better than yesterday. Unfortunately, position-wise, we couldn’t reach where we wanted to be.
Taiyo was fighting to make it through Q1 and was very close. He improved his lap time, but he made a small mistake in the final sector which cost him some time. The gaps were very small, so that mistake had a big effect and he finished P21. Finally he will start from P20 due a withdrawal of another rider, it’s a shame for the other rider, but a small step ahead for Furusato, so I hope he makes a strong start tomorrow.
Mario was directly into Q2 and was showing consistent pace. On his final lap, when he was pushing for his best time, he made a mistake in one corner and lost quite a lot of time. He recovered some of it in the final sector, but it was not enough to reach the top positions.
Both riders have improved, but unfortunately small mistakes made a big difference today. We need to understand where we can fight tomorrow and focus on making the most of the race. I’m positive about our chances, so let’s see what we can do.
Qualifying was a little difficult because the conditions were mixed in the morning, so we couldn’t properly check the setup during the free practice session. Qualifying was dry, but we only had 15 minutes to work with the settings and give both riders the opportunity to improve their lap times.
I would say both riders showed consistent pace and improvement, and their feeling with the bike was better than yesterday. Unfortunately, position-wise, we couldn’t reach where we wanted to be.
Taiyo was fighting to make it through Q1 and was very close. He improved his lap time, but he made a small mistake in the final sector which cost him some time. The gaps were very small, so that mistake had a big effect and he finished P21. Finally he will start from P20 due a withdrawal of another rider, it’s a shame for the other rider, but a small step ahead for Furusato, so I hope he makes a strong start tomorrow.
Mario was directly into Q2 and was showing consistent pace. On his final lap, when he was pushing for his best time, he made a mistake in one corner and lost quite a lot of time. He recovered some of it in the final sector, but it was not enough to reach the top positions.
Both riders have improved, but unfortunately small mistakes made a big difference today. We need to understand where we can fight tomorrow and focus on making the most of the race. I’m positive about our chances, so let’s see what we can do.
Mario Aji
64
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia The reason why we didn’t go out this morning was not because we didn’t want to ride, but because we didn’t want to risk losing the feeling we had with the bike in the dry conditions. Our target was to go out immediately with dry tyres, but the track didn’t improve enough during the session, so we preferred to keep the feeling for qualifying.
In qualifying, I tried to push in a different way and the performance was still there. I lost quite a lot of time in a few parts of the lap and we couldn’t make the most of the potential, so I’m disappointed with the position. The rhythm is not so bad, though. It’s true that the lap time and position are quite far from where we want to be, but I’m really looking forward to the race tomorrow.
Let’s see what we can do and what the weather brings. We are ready for everything. I want to thank my team because they are working very well so far. Tomorrow we have to put everything together and fight.
The reason why we didn’t go out this morning was not because we didn’t want to ride, but because we didn’t want to risk losing the feeling we had with the bike in the dry conditions. Our target was to go out immediately with dry tyres, but the track didn’t improve enough during the session, so we preferred to keep the feeling for qualifying.
In qualifying, I tried to push in a different way and the performance was still there. I lost quite a lot of time in a few parts of the lap and we couldn’t make the most of the potential, so I’m disappointed with the position. The rhythm is not so bad, though. It’s true that the lap time and position are quite far from where we want to be, but I’m really looking forward to the race tomorrow.
Let’s see what we can do and what the weather brings. We are ready for everything. I want to thank my team because they are working very well so far. Tomorrow we have to put everything together and fight.
Taiyo Furusato
72
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Today was another step forward in terms of feeling with the bike, but I’m not happy with P20. I think we are moving in the right direction, but there is still a lot of work to do. We have improved compared with yesterday, and I can feel that the potential is there, but at the moment we are not putting everything together when it matters.
The gap is very small and in this category every detail makes a big difference. I made a small mistake that cost me some time, and with such close lap times, that was enough to lose the chance to progress. I need to be more precise and more confident when I’m pushing for the lap time.
Starting from P20 is not where I want to be, but the race is long and we have the pace to fight. Tomorrow I will be brave from the beginning, keep pushing every lap and try to recover as many positions as possible. I believe we can turn this progress into a better result in the race.
Today was another step forward in terms of feeling with the bike, but I’m not happy with P20. I think we are moving in the right direction, but there is still a lot of work to do. We have improved compared with yesterday, and I can feel that the potential is there, but at the moment we are not putting everything together when it matters.
The gap is very small and in this category every detail makes a big difference. I made a small mistake that cost me some time, and with such close lap times, that was enough to lose the chance to progress. I need to be more precise and more confident when I’m pushing for the lap time.
Starting from P20 is not where I want to be, but the race is long and we have the pace to fight. Tomorrow I will be brave from the beginning, keep pushing every lap and try to recover as many positions as possible. I believe we can turn this progress into a better result in the race.
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