- Pedro Acosta explores the limits with the GASGAS RC16 as the 19-year-old adds four championship points to his tally and sits 4th in the standings
- Augusto Fernandez starts from 20th on the grid and rides to 17th in the French Sprint
- Daniel Holgado, winner in Le Mans 2023, is just one hundredth of a second from Moto3™ Pole Position and will go to the grid in 2nd as Jacob Roulstone shines to fill 11th place for Sunday
Le Mans roasted in a summer ‘preview’ thanks to blue skies and temperatures in the mid-20s in northern France. Round five of MotoGP took place around the famous setting and 4.1km Bugatti course that has staged the world championship each year since 2000. Le Mans teemed with fans from Friday and was sold-out in many areas for the quali and Sprint action on Saturday.
Pedro Acosta raised eyebrows with yet more impressive rookie speed in Practice on Friday and ensured direct Q2 entry. Augusto Fernandez concentrated on shaving his lap-times and strategizing his tire choice through Q1 on Saturday morning. #37 had a late crash that hindered any chance of Q2 but took 20th and narrowed his objectives for the afternoon. Acosta held a top six slot and was on the second row until a spate of falls and yellow flags meant that he could not create a faster lap and ended the session in 7th.
The Sprint was run across 13 laps and Acosta engaged in a very watchable mid-top ten scrap. He fought with more experienced riders while touching the limits through the final sector of the circuit. Pedro stayed upright and scored Sprint points for the fifth GP in a row. Augusto used the Sprint distance to search for grip and better traction and with a view towards the full-length Grand Prix distance on Sunday. The contest starts at 14.00 local time and will last for 27-laps as a potentially changeable weather forecast lies in store.
Pedro Acosta, 7th in qualifying, 6th in the Sprint: “Well, we have the capacity for more! I made a good start but I was not prepared for everybody on the inside to be so ‘gentle’ and give space for the others on the outside to pass! Anyway, I’m happy because we had the pace to fight for the podium and we were able to manage the tire.”
Augusto Fernandez, 20th in qualifying, 17th in the Sprint: “The Sprint was really tough and I am more angry than disappointed. I had nothing from the rear since the beginning and it was something I haven’t had before. In the morning, practice was not too bad, and the lap before I crashed was more competitive. I am finding my feeling and speed again and this is positive.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “A decent Saturday. This morning’s qualifying was a bit chaotic with the yellow flags, and in these conditions Pedro saved a third row spot which wasn’t his target but still a decent start. He made a strong pace to take a promising top six: a good result and he learned more today. On the other side, Augusto was struggling for most of the day and for the Sprint and he could not reach the level he expected. We might have to play with the weather tomorrow, so we’ll keep working to be prepared for the best conditions.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of France
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 1:29.919
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.192
3. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia +0.394
7. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.731
11. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +1.088
20. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1.31.473 (Q1)
22. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +1.32.228 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of France
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 19:49.694
2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +2.280
3. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia +4.174
6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +9.185
8. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +11.516
15. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +16.969
17. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +23.618
Moto3
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s Moto3 line-up promised a strong entry at the team’s home event thanks to the speed of both Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone as the pair looked to bounce back to full points potential. On Friday Holgado was 3rd fastest while Roulstone managed 10th. After the dash through Q2 on another sunny Saturday, the Spaniard was 0.011 away from his second Pole Position of 2024 and confirmed a view of the French asphalt from the middle of the front row. Roulstone was less than a second behind with his quickest lap and will confront the 20-lap distance from 11th.
Grand Prix of France MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of France
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 1:40.114
2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.011
3. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM 0.312
5. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.679
11. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.978
14. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna +1.090
16. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM 1.149
17. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +1.251
PRESS CONTACT
EVANGELIA SISSIS