- Two decades after the venue first hosted MotoGP, the Lusail International Circuit again flickered on the lights for the world championship and round 1 of 21 this year. Saturday brought record-breaking quali laps and the first Sprint of ‘24
- Pedro Acosta fuels the hype with a rookie ride to 8th after meddling with the leaders and the pacesetters through a crowded Saturday schedule due to Friday evening rain. The Spaniard qualified in 8th.
- Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 keep the speed up through Moto3™ quali sessions as Daniel Holgado gains Pole Position for the third time in his career and the second time at Lusail
Qatar reverted to its traditional status as the opening site of MotoGP and welcomed the world championship for the 22nd Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit: the only floodlit stop on the schedule. For the paddock, teams and the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 outfit, the trip to Qatar represented the third arrival at Lusail in five months after negotiating the penultimate race of 2023, the pre-season test and then ‘go time’ for 2024.
An unexpected flurry of rainfall on Friday condensed the Saturday sessions and gave the riders just 45 minutes to mark a lap to determine the order for Q1 and Q2. Pedro Acosta continued his impressive adaptation to the class by consistently lapping among the top ten times both on Friday and Saturday and made the Q2 cut at his very first attempt, just 0.2 of a second from P1. The 19-year-old placed 8th in the quali dash and occupied the third row for the Sprint. In the 11-lap rush that began at 19:00 local time, Pedro felt the heat of the MotoGP pack and came home with a convincing top eight and less than five seconds from the winner.
Augusto was especially quick in the damp conditions on Friday and strived for a flying lap in Practice and then Q1. He was just over a second away from the eventual lap-record breaking Pole time. When it came to the Sprint the Spaniard was forceful from the first lap until the last and scored 18th.
22-laps starts at 20:00 at Lusail International Circuit on Sunday evening (18:00 CET).
Pedro Acosta, 8th in qualifying, 8th in the Sprint: “Happy! Today was super-stressful with the practice, the Q2 and then the Sprint. There was a lot to do and a lot to handle, mentally. We didn’t make many mistakes in the race, and I only lost my time at the beginning. The gap to the leader was constant, so we need to be happy and go again tomorrow.”
Augusto Fernandez, 18th in qualifying, 18th in the Sprint: “Difficult day. We are making small steps but still need to progress a lot. We know the pace will be tricky tomorrow but it’s important to finish races and we know there is a possibility for points. We need to aim for this and then build from there.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “We knew today would not be easy with the change in the schedule. We spent most of the time with a soft tire and chasing the lap-time but it was still a day to remember for us because Pedro shone under the lights here. For the first time since 2019 a rookie went straight to Q2 in his first race and it’s a great achievement. He also rode his first Sprint and got his first points. We know how difficult that is to do. A great day for him but we know he wants more and so do we and we’ll keep that in mind. Augusto is still building his confidence around the bike and we need to understand what is going on to help him as much as we can to give him the bike he deserves.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Qatar
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 1:50.789
2. Aleix Espargaro (ESP) Aprilia +0.083
3. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati +0.086
8. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.341
18. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1:52.204 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Qatar
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 20:41.287
2. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM +0.548
3. Aleix Espargaro (ESP) Aprilia +0.729
8. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +4.431
18. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +17.711
Moto3
The Moto3 section of Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 sped into the fray on Friday and Saturday at Lusail with Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone both feeling their way around the Lusail trajectory. Holgado, entering his third Moto3 season and expected to be one of the main protagonists in the 2024 story, was inside the top four after the first sessions and then blasted to the finest lap in Q2; two tenths of a second faster than next nearest rider, scooping a new lap record and his second consecutive Pole at Lusail. The Spaniard led the way ahead of his Australian rookie teammate. Roulstone will begin his first ever Qatar Grand Prix from 17th and the sixth row on Sunday afternoon.
Daniel Holgado: “A good start for me and the team here. First Pole Position of the season! I’m very happy. A good job today but the important part is tomorrow.”
Grand Prix of Qatar MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Qatar
1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 2:02.276
2. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM +0.265
3. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM +0.320
17. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1.484
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