Manzi and Gonzalez to Start French GP from P16 & P24

14-05-2022

Manzi and Gonzalez to Start French GP from P16 & P24

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team put in hard work on the second day of the Grand Prix de France. Stefano Manzi took part in Q2 and secured 16th place on the grid. Gonzalez participated in Q1 and will start tomorrow‘s race from 24th.

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team‘s Stefano Manzi and Manuel Gonzalez fully opened the throttle in the competitive Moto2 Q1 and Q2 sessions today at the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit. They will start the Grand Prix de France from 16th and 24th place on the grid respectively.

Manzi‘s superb FP1 time earned him a spot in Q2, allowing him to fight for the top 18 starting positions in only his second GP with the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team. He set a 1‘37.252s early on in the shoot-out. It kept him in 15th place for a while before the pace quickened in the final minutes. A 1‘36.979s lap set by the Italian on lap 7/9 again saw him in 15th place until the final stages. He will start the race from P16 on the grid.

Gonzalez made his intention clear right from the start of Q1. He placed P1 with 1‘36.645s on his first flying lap, but the session was only just getting started. He improved his time to a 1‘36.623s on lap 3/9, but with all 16 riders on hot laps, he soon found himself in tenth place. Unable to find a way to shave off more tenths, he completed the session in 10th place and will start tomorrow‘s race from P24.

Stefano Manzi - P16 (1‘36.979 - Q2)

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"Unfortunately, today I couldn‘t improve compared to yesterday, and I‘m very sorry about it. I expected more, also from my qualifying. We need to check the weather conditions tomorrow morning, and then we‘ll do our best to try to have a good race, like we did in Jerez."

Manuel Gonzalez - P24 (1‘36.623 - Q1)

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"It‘s been a very difficult day because we tried something different in FP3 in order to perform better. We compared the bike to yesterday, but it was not the right way. We have to work better on Friday and during FP3 because, if we can‘t enter Q2 immediately, there's a high risk I can't get to the top in Q1. My lap time would have been enough to enter the top 15 if you check the overall qualifying classifications. Starting around P20 is not ideal. Even if you have a good pace, it will be difficult to achieve a good position. We have to make the best possible start tomorrow, like I did in Jerez, and try to achieve a good rhythm from the beginning."

Gelete Nieto

Sports Director

"Stefano had a very good result yesterday, but today he couldn‘t improve. I think that if he starts well on the grid tomorrow, he can have a good race. It‘s a pity that Manu and his crew didn‘t find a proper setting for the FP3. Because of that, he couldn't go straight into Q2. His time attack during the Q1 was quite good, but not enough to enter the second part of the qualifying, so he's towards the back of the grid tomorrow. We should try to work in a different way during FP3, that‘s the key for a good weekend."

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team - 2022 - French GP - Saturday