- Pedro Acosta again impresses fans and experts by haunting the top of the timesheets at COTA and the tricky Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas. #31 scored his first front row start in just his third premier class GP and battles for more podium prizes
- Augusto Fernandez narrows his sights and works diligently to move up the practice and quali ranking but crashes out of the Sprint after starting 18th
- Daniel Holgado is again one of the references in Moto3™ as the Spaniard slices to the 3rd fastest time
- Jacob Roulstone masters the demands of COTA for a bright 6th position and the second row of the grid
Go big or go home: the American vibe around the Circuit of the Americas was strong for round three of 2024 MotoGP but Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 welcomed the speed and challenge for the sole American stop on the slate. Proudly bearing the Red Bull colors for one of the signature events of the season, the crew had high hopes for Spanish pairing Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez.
Many expected Acosta to need more time to get his markers around the Texan course but the starlet shone through a hot Friday schedule where he was the only RC16 racer to make the direct cut to Q2. Augusto was also markedly quicker in the third fixture of the year; sitting 15th fastest and just a second away from a new lap record pace.
On Saturday Acosta was able to save time and tires thanks to his Q2 berth and rode underneath the old lap record to seal 2nd place and sit in the middle of the front row of the grid. Augusto was 8th fastest in Q1 and filled 18th on the grid for the 10-lap Sprint and the 20-lap GP distance on Sunday. The Sprint saw Pedro slide into a three-rider tussle for second place. Acosta kept pace for until the final stages, gathering more mileage and experience at the sharp end and banking 6 more points to boot. Augusto did not reach the end of the first lap after a small mistake at Turn 15 proved costly and he crashed out.
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 go again in the main event tomorrow at 21.00 CET.
Pedro Acosta, 2nd in qualifying, 4th in the Sprint: “Overall a very good Saturday, starting from qualifying where we found a lap to be on the first row. It was important because here you can really struggle with overtaking early. I had a super-nice start in the race and had good speed. It’s true that we are learning and we need to work on the tire management and know when is the moment to push in the Sprint, but, we are on the way.”
Augusto Fernandez, 18th in qualifying, DNF in the Sprint: “A shame to finish the Sprint on the first lap! My start was not too bad…but I made a mistake. My feeling with the race pace was pretty good. Our position on the grid is not great but we need to focus on the start again tomorrow and look for a good full race.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “Another highlight today for the team. The first front row qualifying for Pedro after quite a strong performance and only his third GP of the season. Every time he goes on track he gives the maximum and we just enjoy the show. It’s an unbelievable level. He also had a strong Sprint. He always wants more! Tomorrow he’ll fine tune his strategy. Augusto lost the front in Turn 15 while he was trying to defend his position. However, he was quite happy with the bike and we are confident tomorrow he can score some strong points.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Americas
1. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia +2:00.864
2. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.328
3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.402
11. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +1.433
17. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 2:02.140 (Q1)
18. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +2:02.223 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Americas
1. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia 20:27.825
2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +2.294
3. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +4.399
4. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +6.480
7. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +9.237
12. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +10.724
DNF. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3
Moto3
Moto3 was a typically close dice of slipstreaming and strategic time attacks. The need to find a tow on the vast main straight but then also rely on hard braking and strong acceleration from several tight stops on the layout required a balanced take. Daniel Holgado easily slotted into the top five on Friday and Jacob Roulstone was only a few tenths of a second behind in 7th spot.
After Q2 on Saturday afternoon Holgado was less than two tenths of a second from Pole Position and his best effort ensured 3rd for the day: the last slot on the front row and more prime real estate for the Grand Prix distance. Roulstone also improved and his bright 6th gave him the second row of the grid, right behind his teammate.
The length and breadth of COTA means that Moto3 will thread around the course for 14 laps at 11.00 local time and 18.00 CET on Sunday.
Daniel Holgado, 3rd: “Really important to start on the first row and with the leaders on the grid. I have a good feeling for the race and we did a god job with the bike and the setting for tomorrow. I am happy and I am confident. I’m ready!”
Jacob Roulstone, 6th: “Super-happy. I worked to get the back lap-time early and it paid off. We only had one tire left so I positioned myself well. It was my main focus and it means we have a slightly easier job for the start tomorrow.”
Grand Prix of Americas MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Americas
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 2:14.292
2. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM +0.017
3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.195
4. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.282
6. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.577
16. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna +1.446
17. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +1.940
23. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM 2:17.818 (Q1)
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