- Top twenty ride for Augusto Fernandez with the GASGAS RC16 as MotoGP returns from a spring hiatus and the first of three back-to-back fixtures. The Spaniard grabbed 21st on the grid during Q1.
- Jonas Folger makes another fill-in appearance in GASGAS red and the German sprints to 21st place after finishing quali with the 23rd best lap.
- Moto3™ honors belong to David Alonso with 10th position on the grid. Jake Dixon takes his GASGAS Aspar Racing machine to the second row in Moto2™
Marvelous Mugello. What a stunning racetrack. The facility north of Florence is one of the most scenic, naturally set and fastest on the world championship slate. The weaving 1.1km straight is not for the fainthearted as it takes MotoGP machinery close to all-time top speed records and the technicality of braking, corner entry and flow around the rest of the 15 turns also rewards the brave.
The Italian Grand Prix was not blessed with the most stable weather conditions as warm and humid conditions on Friday turned into rainfall during the Sprint on Saturday and then heavy showers.
Augusto Fernandez, who recorded a fantastic 4th place last time out at Le Mans, searched for his rhythm during practice but his bid for top billing in quali was dented by a fall at Turn 14 late into Practice 3. AF37 had to use his spare bike for Q1 and took 21st place. When it came time for the Sprint Augusto opted for a conservative approach in the damp and rode safely to 20th.
Jonas Folger emerged from quali with 23rd and then rode to 21st in the Sprint while trying to solve a puzzle of rear grip. The sixth dose of full MotoGP race action takes place at 14.00 CEST on Sunday.
Augusto Fernandez, 21st in qualification, 20th in the Sprint: “A hard day. We were improving in qualifying and I was making steps every time I was out on the track and with the bike but then we had that crash and I lost a bit of confidence. When the rain came in the Sprint then it was a bit disastrous for me and nothing like the feeling I had in Le Mans. I need to be more competitive for sure. Luckily, we still have tomorrow and I know we can improve more and be in the fight for points.”
Jonas Folger, 23rd in qualification, 21st in the Sprint: “I’m disappointed with the Sprint. I could not get a consistent feeling and we need to see why. We need to improve our rear grip. I was playing with maps and trying to ride differently but couldn’t quite fix the problem. I want to do better lap-times – like I was in practice – and we have to focus on that. I hope we can achieve our goal tomorrow.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “A difficult weekend so far. Augusto has been looking for his own pace and this is not an easy track for a MotoGP rookie; there are many lines and choices, and experience helps. He needs to follow others and build his confidence. The crash and the changing weather didn’t help us. It is a day for learning. Our package is good and Augusto knows he has the right bike so we’ll keep working. Jonas struggled for grip in the Sprint. We don’t have any drastic issues. We just need to look at data and get ready for our best session of the weekend tomorrow.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 1:44.855
2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Honda +0.078
3. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.152
21. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 1:46.359 (Q1)
23. Jonas Folger (GER) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 1:47.806 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 19:41.183
2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati +0.369
3. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +0.952
20. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +35.212
21. Jonas Folger (GER) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +46.189
Moto3 and Moto2
Moto3 provided the usual bedlam of slipstreaming, tows and cunning strategy during practice and Saturday quali as riders strived to find the right track position to maximize their top speed. By the end of a sweltering Q2 in the afternoon GASGAS Aspar Racing’s David Alonso had classified in 16th place. The teenager clocked his best lap at the last attempt and was less than a second from the front row. He will nevertheless start from the fourth line of the grid. Ryusei Yamanaka had to judge his pace in the pack and look for advantages. The Japanese could not bust out of Q1 and bag a top twenty slot but he will roll out on the fifth row (in 14th) for the 17-lap dash on Sunday morning after sanctions for numerous other riders.
Moto2 will run over 19 laps and GASGAS Aspar Racing will once more be hoping that Jake Dixon’s experience and natural racecraft will put the crew into contention for their second podium trophy of the season. The Brit was 6th fastest after Q2 – less than three tenths of a second from Pole and puts him within the first two rows of the grid for the fourth time from the six GPs to-date in ’23. Moto3 World Champ Izan Guevara was 24th.
Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley
1. Deniz Öncü (TUR) KTM1:56.020
2. Joel Kelso (AUS), CFMOTO +0.538
3. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna +0.591
16. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team +1:57.518 (starts from 10th)
21. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team (Q1) +1.57.665 (starts from 15th)
Results Qualifying Moto2 Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley
1. Aron Canet (ESP) 1:50.796
2. Pedro Acosta (ESP) +0.159
3. Sam Lowes (GBR) +0.162
6. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.242
24. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team 1:52.280 (Q1)
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