The Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia became the centre stage for Daniel Holgado to claim his first win in Moto2. Holgado topped nearly every session across the weekend, only beaten by Arón Canet in Friday’s Practice by fifty-one thousandths of a second. Read on below to follow the #27 rider’s weekend run to race glory.
Holgado Climbs to the Top in FP1
Forty minutes began as Senna Agius made his return to Moto2 after Sergio García had been covering for the Aussie while he recovered from injury. Manuel González had a lot to prove this weekend, not only to start strong and maintain his championship lead ahead of Canet and Diogo Moreira. The Liqui Moly rider had also announced that he would be riding with the team once again for 2026.
Ten minutes of the session were completed without incident. However, lap times were being deleted as riders tested the track limits. As we neared the halfway mark, yellow flags came out in Sector 1 to signal the first Moto2 crash of the weekend. Jorge Navarro came down in the gravel trap of Turn 1, finding the braking point too much after coming down the main straight.
Riders returned for their second run of the session after consulting with their teams. Celestino Vietti came out with a fantastic lap of 1:42.729 after his self-described “disaster” weekend at Hungary two weeks prior. With ten minutes of the session remaining, Filip Salač seemed to find his pace. He topped the timesheet above Vietti with a time of 1:42.893. However, he improved on that time in his next flying lap by another three tenths of a second.
Albert Arenas quickly answered that with a time of 1:42.500, but the other riders on track were quick to follow and created a flying lap shootout in the final five minutes. In the end, it was Daniel Holgado who came out on top with a time of 1:42.306.
Canet Capitalises on Late Run During Practice
As the Moto2 Practice session began, it was clear we were going to have a very mixed bag of contenders vying for immediate Q2 advancement. The humidity and heat were key factors affecting tyre degradation as riders navigated the punishing right-hand turns of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
With more than half of the session complete, no major incidents had occurred. Izan Guevara and Joe Roberts stayed out as long as possible before they decided to return to the pit box. As usual for a Friday, Moreira remained quiet but secured fifth fastest on the timesheet with a lap of 1:42.327.
In the final five minutes of the session, Holgado lost crucial time veering off the track a little before rejoining. Vietti almost lost the front in the final turn of a hot lap. Collin Veijer slid into Turn 1, ending his session early but still securing a spot in the top fourteen.
Canet seemed to have no pace in the early stages of the session, the #44 at the very bottom of the timeboard. Whatever issues Canet had were no more when he came out for his second run of the session, setting the top time of 1:42.168.
Holgado in Prime Form in FP2
With the punishing heat already building on Saturday morning, no one in Moto2 was looking to push beyond their limits. Unfortunately, Daniel Muñoz was caught out minutes into the session at the Turn 5 left-hander, crashing heavily into the gravel. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider did not rejoin as the team prepared his bike for the Q2 session.
Holgado was quick to top the timesheets in Free Practice 2, and remained there until the checkered flag. The CFMOTO Impulse Aspar Team rider’s best lap time was 1:41.897, with Agius twenty-four thousandths of a second behind. Even more impressive is that Holgado’s time was three thousandths of the all-time lap record set by Garcia last season.
The current 2025 Moto3 World Champion stayed close to Holgado for the majority of FP2, as did Navarro. But the last flying laps from both Agius and Vietti pushed both down to fourth and fifth.
Two Moto2 Rookies and One Veteran Qualify on the Front Row
The beginning of the Q1 session was uneventful until Navarro came crashing down between Sectors 2 and 3. With no lap time set, the #9 rider was left to start at the back of the grid. Zonta van den Goorbergh managed to get himself into the top four as the Q1 contenders came out for their final run. However, he was usurped by Ayumu Sasaki in the final minutes. The Japanese rider joined David Alonso, Arenas, and Vietti through to Q2.
They competed in the session along with Canet, Holgado, Jake Dixon, Muñoz, Moreira, Veijer, Iván Ortolá, Roberts, Guevara, González, Agius, Alonso López, Barry Baltus, and Salač. Another fifteen minutes began on the clock as the Q2 participants made their way out for their first run.
The three championship contenders were the surprise underperformers for the session. Canet qualified ninth, González in twelfth, and Moreira directly behind the championship leader in unlucky thirteenth. Vietti was unable to improve on his time after crashing in the final minutes, as was his teammate, Lopez.
Holgado broke the all-time lap record twice, the first time he had it for a second before Dixon beat it with a time of 1:41.629. The #27 answered the call by the end of the session, claiming the record and pole position with a lap time of 1:41.549. Both Holgado and Dixon qualified on the front row along with Veijer.
Costly Choices for Canet as Holgado Dominates
As the Moto2 riders lined up on the grid from their sighting lap, some reshuffling was required. Arenas, Baltus, Tony Arbolino, Darryn Binder, and Alonso had all been handed nine-place grid penalties for excessive slow riding in qualifying. The bulk of the grid opted for the soft-front tyre, but Holgado and Salač selected the medium.
While it seemed like the dream launch off the line for Salač, he was pushed wide by Canet in Turn 4. Sasaki also barrel-rolled into the gravel trap at the same corner. Eric Fernández completed his long lap penalty before bowing out of the race. Both Navarro and Salač came down in a horrific collision in Turn 1. The Czech rider was thankfully conscious but sought a medical check, as is required for such a crash.
Not only had Canet caused issues for Salač earlier, but he had also made an identical contact against Vietti. The FIM stewards penalised him to drop two positions. It went from bad to worse for the #44, crashing out at high speed after completing eleven laps. For Canet, this DNF result meant that he remains winless since the Qatar GP earlier in the season. He also went to the medical centre to be checked.
From early on in the race and until the checkered flag, Dixon and Muñoz gave spectators an incredible battle. Meanwhile, Holgado was left on his own to speed ahead in front to claim his maiden win.
Top 15
Here are the fifteen Moto2 riders who scored points at the Catalan GP: