The Italian rider earns his first win of 2024. Deniz Öncü claims his best result with eleventh place.

Red Bull KTM Ajo concluded the Austrian Grand Prix on a high note, as Celestino Vietti enjoyed a perfect race, leading from start to finish and taking his first win of the season. Deniz Öncü had his best race in the Moto2 class, returning from injury and placing eleventh.

Vietti dominated in Austria for the second year in a row. The Italian, who started the race from pole position, secured the lead from the opening laps. From then on, he imposed his own pace and increased the gap over his rivals. After the first half of the race, a small mistake caused the field to close up again, but he was able to recover and -despite the discomfort in his hand from a crash on Friday- again break away. His victory at the Red Bull Ring was his second in a row at the Austrian circuit, and his first of the season with Red Bull KTM Ajo.

Öncü had his best race since his debut in Moto2. The Turkish rider made a great start from fourteenth position, moving quickly up to eighth place. He remained in the Top 10 during the first half of the race, keeping up a good pace on his return to competition after 2 months out due to a left hand injury. Despite losing positions late on, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider fought until the end and crossed the finish line in eleventh position. Öncü has shown a great capacity for improvement and maturity this weekend, achieving his best result of the season.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“I am so happy about Moto2, and especially with Celestino. We had missed this feeling. I honestly expected a result like this, because he is very strong here. I am really happy that in these last few races he has found his way in this class, after a difficult start to the year. Our performance could have been better, but we are improving and the spirit amongst the team is very strong. Celestino controlled the race today and really deserved this win. I’m thrilled about that, especially considering the crash he had on Friday. As for Deniz, after a long break after his injury, he surprised us here; not only with his performance, but also his position in the race and his speed. He improved with maturity and consistency during the whole weekend.”

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI

“We finally did it. I am really happy for me and for the team at their home GP. This victory is for a friend of mine, who we miss. During the race, at Turn 3, I had a difficult moment and made a mistake, but fortunately I had a gap and I was able to concentrate again and keep my pace. I am really happy, the bike was really good, so we need to keep working and use this as motivation.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“It was a good weekend for me here in Austria. I missed being at the circuits and in the paddock. After two months, I am back. The weekend was very positive for us overall, and I really enjoyed myself on the bike. Thank you to the team, because they are doing a great job. After the injury I got the best result of the season, with eleventh. The race was quite positive for me, I enjoyed it a lot, so now let’s keep this attitude, this motivation and good feeling with the bike for the next few races.”

The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider crosses the line in seventh position, while Xabi Zurutuza places eighteenth.

The Austrian Grand Prix came to an end with a fast race for the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders. Jose Antonio Rueda was able to cap the weekend with a seventh place finish, whilst Xabi Zurutuza was eighteenth.

Rueda started the race from the second row of the grid, and focused on staying in the leading group off the line. After several laps he took fourth place and increased the pace in the chase for the podium. The high pace imposed by the frontrunners continued throughout, and in the closing stages Rueda lost positions, although he remained in the leading group until dropping to seventh before the end. Nevertheless, it was a positive weekend for the Spaniard.

Zurutuza completed his first race at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday. The Moto3 rookie, who achieved one of his best results in qualifying, tried to keep up the high pace in the contest, although he would be relegated to sixteenth. From that moment on, he focused on returning to the points, but a long lap penalty late on prevented him from reaching the goal and he took the chequered flag in eighteenth position.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“It was a hectic race in Moto3, as always. We cannot be completely happy with this weekend, as we feel that we have the potential to be much higher up with both of our riders. Xabi had good practice sessions and got directly into Q2, but in the race we are still making some mistakes and even got a track limit penalty. With Rueda we of course expected to fight for the podium and even for the win. His fighting in the race was not enough and that’s the part that we really need to improve: Riding on the slow corners and being strong in groups during the race. He is always one of the fastest riders, but in terms of race performance we need to work on things to have a chance to fight for the podium.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“In today’s race we made a good start and we were in the Top 5. From the beginning, I had a hard time turning the bike and, above all, keeping up with the other riders. We finished in seventh position, which is a fairly good result, as this circuit has always been difficult for me. The objective was to be further up and fight for the front positions, and now it’s a bit tough. Since the tests we have been improving, but we still need a bit more to fight up front in the race. It’s bittersweet, but at Aragon we will get better and better.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“We’ve finished KTM’s home GP, where we’ve taken a step forward. I’m very happy overall. The race didn’t go as I would have liked, but I’m happy with the pace in the first half of the race. It’s a shame about the long lap due to exceeding the track limits, because I was fighting for the Top 10. But we have a clear idea and a good feeling with the bike for the Aragon GP in two weeks.”