Saturday at the Malaysian Grand Prix ended on a bittersweet note for the Beta Tools SpeedRS Team, with riders Luca Lunetta and Celestino Vietti set to start tomorrow’s race from the sixth and seventh rows of the grid, respectively.

The day had begun with encouraging signs for both riders, who delivered a solid performance in the final practice session, with Vietti finishing P8 (2’04.397) and Lunetta P14 (2’04.673).

In Q1, Luca Lunetta took to the track determined to secure a place in the next session straight away. The Roman rookie immediately found a good rhythm, but on his final attempt, his teammate took the position he needed to progress to Q2. Thanks also to the penalty handed to Vietti, Lunetta will start tomorrow’s race from the sixth row of the grid.

It was a more challenging day for Celestino Vietti. After securing a place in Q2 with fourth position in Q1, the #13 rider was unable to make the most of his potential in the second qualifying session. His qualifying run ended prematurely with a crash at Turn 15, before he could set a valid lap time. His grid position will be further affected by the three-place penalty handed to him following Friday’s Practice session. Vietti will therefore start from 21st position, on the seventh row.

CELESTINO VIETTI #13: P21 – 2’03.904

“We had done a good job in FP2, managing to find a good rhythm and finishing the session in eighth position. We also achieved our goal in Q1 by making it through to Q2, but unfortunately, we were unable to make the most of our potential in the second session due to a crash that prevented me from completing a valid lap. Tomorrow, we will also have to serve the three-place penalty, meaning we will start from 21st on the grid. It will be an uphill battle, but our goal is to make up positions, find a good rhythm and fight until the very end”.

LUCA LUNETTA #32: P18 – 2’03.938

“This morning in FP2, we took another step forward: I got closer and closer to the front, reducing the gap. We also made a good step forward in qualifying with the new tyre, which was the most important area we needed to work on. Our pace on used tyres is very good. Unfortunately, we missed out on Q2 by just 30 thousandths of a second. We never seem to have much luck when it comes down to a few thousandths, which can make all the difference in achieving a good result. But tomorrow is the day that really matters. We have the potential to put together a great race. We will start from 18th position, but I am really fired up and motivated for tomorrow’s race”.