Positive indications for the Beta Tools SpeedRS Team on the opening day of action at the Lusail International Circuit, host of the season’s only night race. Celestino Vietti secured direct entry to Q2, while Luca Lunetta ended the day in nineteenth position and will have to go through Q1.

The weekend got off to a very positive start for Celestino Vietti, who was immediately competitive in FP1, finishing second with a lap time of 1’56.923. Luca Lunetta also enjoyed an excellent first outing, setting the fifth-fastest time in 1’57.175, confirming a good initial feeling with the Qatari circuit.

During Practice, the #13 rider used the first part of the session to work on the behaviour of the new tyres and fine-tune the set-up ahead of the race. In the second run, Vietti managed to improve his benchmark further, stopping the clock at 1’56.184. This performance earned him fifth place, just 0.287 seconds off the fastest time, securing direct entry to tomorrow’s Q2.

After a promising start, rookie Lunetta was unable to find the right feeling during Practice and did not manage to fully express his potential. The Italian rider finished the session in P19 with a time of 1’56.773 and will have to contest Q1 tomorrow to secure a place in the decisive qualifying session.

CELESTINO VIETTI #13: P5 in 1’56.184

“It was a positive first day. From FP1 onwards, I had a good feeling with the bike and we were immediately competitive. During Practice, we managed to make another step forward, and fifth place allowed us to secure direct entry to Q2, which was our first goal. I’m happy with the work we did today, but we know there is still room for improvement”.

LUCA LUNETTA #32: P19 in 1’56.773

“The first session was very positive, perhaps the best of the year, very close to the front. Unfortunately, during Practice, I didn’t feel comfortable with the bike in the first run and we weren’t immediately fast. As a result, I tried to give it my all in the second run, but it wasn’t enough to secure direct entry to Q2. There is some disappointment because, after the first session, I thought I would make it through, but unfortunately that’s how it went. Now we need to roll up our sleeves and tomorrow we will definitely do better”.