Just a few days after the Australian Grand Prix, the Beta Tools SpeedRS Team was back on track at the Sepang International Circuit for Friday’s sessions of the Malaysian GP. It was a challenging opening day for both team riders, who were unable to secure direct entry into Q2 and will therefore have to make their way through Q1 tomorrow.

The morning session proved difficult from the outset. During FP1, Luca Lunetta, a rookie at the Malaysian circuit, remained in the pits due to a technical issue that prevented him from completing any timed laps. It was also an eventful session for Celestino Vietti, who crashed at Turn 1 approximately ten minutes after the start. Despite the incident, the Italian rider was able to rejoin the session and finished the first free practice session in seventh position with a time of 2’04.841.

During the afternoon Practice session, held in particularly humid and hot conditions, Lunetta had to make up for the valuable track time lost in the morning, gradually working to regain his feeling with the circuit and find the necessary consistency. The #32 rider finished the session in twenty-fifth position, recording a time of 2’05.907. Vietti, meanwhile, narrowly missed out on direct qualification for Q2, falling short of the target by just a few tenths of a second. The Italian rider ended Practice in sixteenth position with a time of 2’04.765. Adding to the day’s challenges, he also received a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race.

The Beta Tools SpeedRS Team therefore ends Friday with both riders set to compete in Q1 tomorrow.

CELESTINO VIETTI #13: P16 in 2’04.765

“Friday was quite a challenging day. The morning started with a crash, but we managed to get back on track and finish FP1 in seventh position. In the afternoon, we tried to continue our work and improve our feeling with the bike, but we weren’t able to set the lap time needed to secure direct entry into Q2. We were really close, so it’s a shame. On top of that, I made a mistake in judgement on my final lap and received a three-place grid penalty, which makes the weekend even more difficult. Tomorrow, we will have to focus on Q1 and try to make the most of every opportunity to fight our way back”.

LUCA LUNETTA #32: P25 in 2’05.907

“It was a difficult Friday. We weren’t able to ride in the morning due to a technical issue. The important thing is that we understood what the problem was, and during the second session we were able to ride without any further issues. We were quite competitive on the used tyre and are not too far off the pace. With the new tyre, however, we still need to work on getting the most out of it ahead of the time attack”.