- Augusto Fernandez enjoys an intense fight to capture 11th place in the Indian Grand Prix Sprint and after starting 18th on the grid
- Pol Espargaro gets nudged out of the Sprint on the first corner after contact with another rider
- GASGAS Aspar Team come through a wet Moto3 Q2 with GP-winning rookie David Alonso in 18th but 17 places further forward in Moto2™ was Jake Dixon, who powered to his fourth Pole of 2023
Movies, cricket, food, heat: MotoGP also discovered a vibrant passion for motorsport and motorcycle racing with their first taste of India. GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 were part of the show that finally descended on the circuit a short distance south of the major city of New Delhi and found a curious and challenging 5km mix of 13 corners and plenty of throttle-heavy action.
Interest in the series was as high as the 33+ temperatures and humidity across the four days of activity in India. The teams and riders were also getting a sweat-on as they attempted to learn the Buddh layout. Pol pushed the limits through the extra-long Free Practice but then also drilled the GASGAS RC16 to times around the top ten. Augusto was also quick to adapt – his rivals all facing the same ‘rookie learning’ experience! – and his best effort was 0.8 of a second from provisional Pole. By the end of Friday both riders were in Q1 but with the first ‘baby steps’ at Buddh firmly locked.
Saturday’s format followed the traditional time scale. Fernandez was 8th in Q1, half a second from the cut, and Espargaro was 10th. The upshot meant grid positions of 18th and 20th for the 11-lap Sprint in the afternoon. The agenda was complicated by a heavy rain shower that meant the track was damp and slick for the preceding sessions and but thankfully normal for the race.
After delays to allow the circuit to dry and to also treat the grid paces, the Sprint got underway. Pol was bumped out of action before he could even get his teeth into the fray and had to leave the GASGAS RC16 submerged in the Turn 1 gravel. Augusto throttled the #37 as hard as he could and as part of a dice with two other riders for the final championship points-grab. The difference to 9th place at the flag was less than one second.
Augusto Fernandez, 18th in qualifying, 11th in the Sprint: “We started far back on the grid but my pace was good. I felt strong. It was a shame to miss my final lap in qualifying because of the yellow flags but I made a good recovery. We need to take out more of our pace tomorrow. I also didn’t make the best start today so that’s another area where we can still improve. We had the speed to be in the top ten again, so we’ll try tomorrow.”
Pol Espargaro, 20th in qualifying, DNF in the Sprint: “Always a pity when you’re taken-out on the first corner. You cannot prove anything. A bad situation and there was nothing we can do. We can only look to tomorrow now and a bit more luck.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “The first ever Grand Prix in India and we’ve had highs and lows in the pitbox. Augusto missed Q2 this morning because of flags in his fast lap. It is part of the rules but he was heading for a time that would have put him on the third row in Q2. It gave us some hope for the race and he was strong as usual in race conditions and pushed all the way to the end. He set his fastest lap on the last one! Our grid positions are not the best and we know it is our weak-point at the moment. The pace he showed today provide some encouragement. On the other side of the garage Pol is trying to regain confidence and although he was at a disadvantage on the grid he was still looking to attack the race. Unfortunately it all ended so fast for him. Luckily though he was not injured and we’ll reset for tomorrow.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP IndianOil Grand Prix of India
1. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati 1:43.947
2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +0.043
3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.256
18. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 1:45.066 (Q1)
20. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 1:45.452 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint IndianOil Grand Prix of India
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 19:18.836
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +1.389
3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Honda +2.405
11. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +11.456
DNF. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3
Moto3 and Moto2
David Alonso was happy that the playing field had levelled in India. The rookie has been discovering tracks, speed and his rivals in his rookie Moto3 campaign – that he has so far blazed with three Grand Prix wins – but the experience disadvantage was nullified at BIC where the entire Moto3 contingent had to work out new lines, braking points and refine technical set-up. Some of the track’s bumps made the going extra complicated for the category.
The Colombian successfully negotiated practice to enter Q2 but was then thrown a new curveball as Moto3 were the first riders to work out Buddh in the wet. A brief but heavy downpour meant the track was soaking for the 15-minute dispute for Pole Position. Alonso gently felt the limits and remained on two wheels to qualify 18th. The GASGAS Aspar Team was able to count on Ryusei Yamanaka’s pace as well. The Japanese crashed late in quali but had already set the 12th best lap-time.
Moto2 saw Jake Dixon’s positive form and competitiveness translate into effective lap-times from the off. The Brit was content with top-five contention after the first circulations at Buddh and then worked on lowering the chrono Friday afternoon and into Saturday. Jake worked through damp and mixed conditions in Quali to gain his fourth Pole Position of the season! Izan Guevara was 12th in Q1 and will now line-up 26th on the grid.
IndianOil Grand Prix of India MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 IndianOil Grand Prix of India
1. Jaume Masia (ESP) Honda 2:09.336
2. Matteo Bertelle (ITA) Honda +0.727
3. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna +0.768
12. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team +1.994
18. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team +5.072
Results Qualifying Moto2 IndianOil Grand Prix of India
1. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team 2:01.924
2. Pedro Acosta (ESP) +0.032
3. Sergio Garcia (ESP) +0.268
26. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team 2:05.015 (Q1)
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