Emerging Malaysian Moto3 star Hakim Danish Ramli showcased sensational resilience by bouncing back from a high-speed practice crash to secure a career-best second place on the grid for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at the iconic Mugello Circuit.

The 19-year-old rider, representing the AEON Credit-MT Helmets-MSi team, proved that yesterday’s heavy spill did absolutely nothing to dent his confidence. Hakim produced a blistering flying lap in Qualifying 2 (Q2), clocking a personal best time of 1 minute 54.880 seconds.

The Terengganu-born teenager missed out on pole position by the narrowest of margins, finishing a mere 0.018 seconds behind Spain’s David Almansa, who secured the top spot with a time of 1:54.862s.

A Remodelled Ride Through Q1

Hakim’s path to the front row was far from straightforward. During Free Practice 1 on Friday, the young Malaysian lost control of his machinery at the penultimate corner, violently high-siding off his bike. While Hakim escaped serious injury, his damaged bike severely compromised his practice running.

Despite the frantic repair work by his pit crew, Hakim ended the combined practice timesheets in 21st place, which forced him to take the long route through the treacherous Qualifying 1 (Q1) session on Saturday.

Showing maturity beyond his years, Hakim safely navigated the high-stakes Q1 session to book his ticket into Q2. He then unleashed his full potential on the demanding Italian tarmac, consistently finding pace in the sectors to leapfrog the competition and secure the second-fastest time of the day.

His AEON Credit-MT Helmets-MSi teammate, Ryusei Yamanaka of Japan, will start much further back in 11th place on the grid.

Eyes on a Historic First Podium

The front-row start sets a brand-new milestone for Hakim. His previous best qualifying result came at the Brazilian Grand Prix earlier this season, where he started from third. P2 at Mugello now marks his highest-ever starting position in World Championship racing.

Having narrowly missed out on a podium with a solid seventh-place finish at the Catalunya GP earlier this month on May 17, Hakim is now perfectly positioned to battle for his first rostrum finish of the season.

With Mugello’s notoriously long straight offering massive slipstream advantages, Sunday’s race promises to be an absolute slipstreaming war—and Malaysia’s brightest young talent is sitting right on the front lines.