BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha MotoGP

Guevara Through to Q2 on Austrian GP Friday, Ferrández Narrowly Misses Out

The BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 team enjoyed a strong opening day at the Grand Prix of Austria, with Izan Guevara securing fifth place and direct passage to Q2, while Alberto Ferrández missed out on the top 14 by just 0.057s after a determined effort at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg.

GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRIA

PRACTICE

Spielberg (Austria), 18th September 2026

5th

IZAN GUEVARA
1'32.638 / 16 LAPS

15th

ALBERTO FERRANDEZ
1'33.220 / 16 LAPS

BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2's Izan Guevara and Alberto Ferrández made an encouraging start to the Grand Prix of Austria at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg, with Guevara comfortably securing a place in Q2 and Ferrández narrowly missing out after fighting until the very end of the Practice session.

Guevara quickly found his rhythm around the Austrian circuit and immediately established himself among the frontrunners. After ending FP1 in third place, the Spaniard continued his strong form in the afternoon, setting a 1'32.755s lap on his fourth try to briefly hold a new All-Time Lap Record before it was later improved upon by other rivals. Despite being pushed down the order in the closing stages, he responded with a strong final attack, setting a 1'32.638s on lap 16 to secure fifth position, 0.236s from first and comfortably through to Q2.

Ferrández finished this morning's FP1 in P18 and targeted his fourth direct Q2 appearance in the afternoon. The rookie made a bright start to the Practice session, climbing as high as sixth place with a 1'33.527s on lap 3. As lap times continued to tumble, however, he faced an increasingly intense battle to remain inside the top 14. Running in 17th position with five minutes remaining, Ferrández improved to a 1'33.220s on lap 15 to move into 14th place. The lap initially appeared sufficient to secure direct passage to Q2, but after the chequered flag, he was displaced by a rival and ultimately classified 15th, just 0.057s short of the cut-off and 0.818s from the top of the timesheets.

Track action resumes on Saturday with FP2 taking place from 09:25-09:55 (GMT+2), before qualifying gets underway from 13:40-14:20.

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IZAN GUEVARA
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Rider

"Honestly, I feel very good. On my final lap, I was pushing quite hard, and I had some chattering into the last corner, which is something quite particular with this bike, but I know how to deal with it sometimes, so overall I felt very comfortable.

"The times are very close here because there are so many long straights and everyone is able to brake hard and get on the gas early, so we are all very close together. I think the race could be really fun, with many riders fighting for the same positions, so we will try to be there.

"For me, the most important thing for the race is the rhythm, and I feel very good in that area. I don't get tired, I can do many laps, and I can control the bike well, so we just need to keep working in the same way. We have a little bit of chattering in some places, like T3 and T4, while in other corners we have nothing. But overall we are still fast.

"I feel more confident today than I did last week. We were able to put together a fast lap despite having some difficulties, and that gives me confidence for tomorrow. I think we can fight for the front row. If we are not there, second or third row is still okay, but the goal is to keep working, enjoy the weekend, and try to correct the small things that we are still missing."

ALBERTO FERRANDEZ
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Rider

"Today, I'm really happy with the day overall. We did a really good job and improved step by step in every session. From this morning, I felt good with the bike and comfortable with the base we have.

"Unfortunately, tomorrow we have to go through Q1, but I feel strong, and I feel that we have a good base to make the step into Q2. Let's see what we can do tomorrow."