- Acosta accelerates to the 5th fastest lap in his first MotoGP quali in Barcelona and then fights for the win to earn his third Sprint podium result of 2024
- Fernandez takes the 19th best time, finishing 17th in the Sprint
- A Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine will blast away from the third row of the Moto3™ grid thanks to Daniel Holgado’s 9th place in Q2 as Jacob Roulstone managed the Quali dash for 16th
MotoGP rounded the varied layout of turns and kinks at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the first of a back-to-back fixture double in Spain and Italy. The Grand Prix of Catalunya took place in a warm, overcast spring climate and with another strong attendance for the packed Saturday schedule of quali sessions and the 12-lap Sprint.
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 got right down to business with Pedro Acosta chasing a slot in the top five of FP1 on Friday morning and then maintained the course in the afternoon for direct Q2. Augusto Fernandez continues to work on his adaption to the GASGAS RC16 and the search for high performance confidence and was 15th fastest, meaning Q1 on Saturday morning. Quali saw Acosta in excellent form and the birthday boy (20 today) was three tenths of a second under the old lap record. He was initially 4th and then placed 5th for the middle of the second row when another rider had a lap reinstated. Augusto ended the Q1 period with 19th on the grid.
The Sprint saw Pedro blast away from the line and into the dispute for the lead through the opening turns. #31 was intensely competitive with varying lines and bold overtaking moves as three riders lost traction and crashed around him. Acosta was able to keep within a second of the winner and crossed the line in P3 for his third bottle of Prosecco this term. Augusto made it to the flag in 17th.
MotoGP will circulate the 14 Catalan curves on Sunday at 14.00 CET and will again test nerves and tire conservation skills for 24 laps.
Pedro Acosta, 5th in qualifying, 3rd in the Sprint: “Not a bad way to celebrate today but the truth is that it was a super-difficult race for me, maybe the hardest of my short career in MotoGP so far for grip and management and how the front tire was hot like hell! I was suffering but happy with all the work we are making and how we’re able to be fast at another track. We must keep working in this way.”
Augusto Fernandez, 19th in qualifying, 17th in the Sprint: “I had a problem with the front start device and I almost pulled in. Anyway, I stayed out to find some data because it’s been a difficult weekend so far. Tomorrow will be a long race and the goal will be to try and get as close to the points as possible. Let’s see if we can make it happen and then look to Italy.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “Super-strong Saturday for Pedro here. He gave himself a Sprint podium for his birthday and its again incredible to see what this kid can achieve. We know this track is tricky with low grip conditions and he’s been focused on this since Friday. He tried to be smooth and to tackle the conditions in the best way: P5 in qualifying and the podium was a good reward. We’ll probably use a different tire for the longer race tomorrow. On Augusto’s side we are still looking for a strong race…but it’s been difficult for him here this year. We need a result to get some smiles back on the faces, so, heads down and we’ll keep working.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Catalunya
1. Aleix Espargaro (ESP) Aprilia 1:38.190
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.031
3. Raul Fernandez (ESP) Aprilia +0.071
4. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.144
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.179
9. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.573
19. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1.39.120 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Catalunya
1. Aleix Espargaro (ESP) Aprilia 20:01.478
2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.892
3. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1.169
7. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +8.084
17. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +25.262
DNF. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Moto3
Moto3 was close and tense as the majority of young Grand Prix riders have decent knowledge of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya due to the venue’s prevalence in FIM JuniorGP and other filter series’. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone were among the fastest of the crop as the Spaniard aimed to keep his positive 2024 streak of podium and victory contention on the boil, and Roulstone continues his education at the highest level (while also recovering further from his injured shoulder).
Quali was fierce in terms of competitiveness and the GASGAS duo pushed the limits. Q2 ended with Dani in 9th and less than a second from Pole Position while Jacob edged through Q1 to make 16th in Q2 and the top of the sixth row of the grid. Moto3 will be decided after 18 laps on Sunday at 11.00 local time.
Grand Prix of Catalunya MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Catalunya
1. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM 1:46.749
2. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.019
3. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM +0.262
6. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO +0.550
9. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.800
15. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +1.290
16. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1.305
21. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna 1:48.752 (Q1)
23. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM 1:48.876 (Q1)
PRESS CONTACT
EVANGELIA SISSIS