- Augusto Fernandez, 18th fastest in a sunny and hot Quali, powers past riders and defies his relative lack of premier class experience once more to shine with 13th in the Sprint
- 17th after a demanding 13-lap Sprint for Pol Espargaro as the team leader sets off from the sixth row of the start grid with his GASGAS RC16
- Moto3 witnesses David Alonso rapidly learning the Indonesian ‘ropes’ and takes the GASGAS Aspar Team machine to 3rd on the grid. Jake Dixon laps Mandalika for 7th in Moto2™ Quali, less than two tenths from Pole, and with options for more podium potential
The waves of tropical rain that lashed the new Mandalika Street Circuit in 2022 remained (thankfully) absent for the first two days of the fifteenth Grand Prix of the year and the second visit to the impressive facility with a relentless 17-corner layout. Freshly asphalted but still dirty and greasy away from the main racing line, Mandalika offered usable grip and riders and teams used the initial practice sessions on Friday to get immediately up to pace.
Pol Espargaro missed Q2 by a staggering 0.047 of a second. The tiny margin meant the Spaniard had to take his chances through Q1 with teammate Augusto Fernandez for company and the Iberian duo closed the Saturday morning section of the program with 16th and 18th positions on the grid.
The Indonesian Sprint was 13-laps long and provided more learning and ‘preview’ opportunities ahead of the full-length Grand Prix on Sunday. Fernandez was an instigator and made up positions to battle with Johann Zarco. He swept to 13th at the conclusion of the race as Espargaro fought for the top ten but then a mistake saw him lose time and he took 17th.
27-laps will rush into motion when the red light goes out at 09.00 CEST (15.00 local time) on Sunday.
Augusto Fernandez, 18th in qualifying, 13th in the Sprint: “The race was OK but it was a really tough quali. The lap-time was alright but I’m not happy because everything was so tight and 18th was all we could do. Still, it was positive that we could feel some improvements. At the start of the Sprint I was looking for places and opportunities to pass and then afterwards, like always, the race pace was pretty good. Not perfect overall, but if we can make another small step for tomorrow then we can ride to the top ten.”
Pol Espargaro, 16th in qualifying, 17th in the Sprint: “Not so much to say. I had quite a few problems during the weekend to find the turning that I want and using the harder tire compound meant it was extra tricky. I was in a small group of guys during the Sprint but then I went wide and lost all the spots. Here, when you run wide, you don’t lose half a second, it is more like three because coming back onto line you have to be careful with the dirty tires. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “We experienced a burning Saturday here in Mandalika with some record track temperatures. Augusto’s main target was to improve the qualifying but things didn’t’ quite go to plan with a crash in the morning practice. Nevertheless, he didn’t give up and had a decent pace in the race to recover five positions, which was a strong result. Positive for tomorrow. Pol struggled to find confidence in the heat and feeling with the front. His Sprint start was good and he was near the top ten but a small mistake saw him drop back, which was a shame. We’ll learn from today and look to tomorrow.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Indonesia
1. Luca Marini (ITA) Ducati 1:29.978
2. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia +0.031
3. Aleix Espargaro (ESP) Aprilia +0.154
16. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 1:31.006 (Q1)
18. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 1:31.034 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Indonesia
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 19:49.711
2. Luca Marini (ITA) Ducati +1.131
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati +2.081
13. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +14.823
17. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +27.169
Moto3 and Moto2
Moto3 was a mix for the GASGAS Aspar Team as Ryusei Yamanaka brought his 2022 experience of Mandalika to the table while David Alonso had to get his head and bearings around yet another new and unseen circuit for the Columbian rookie. Both riders were within a second of the lead runner on Friday and then strived to decrease the margin through qualifying. Tows, slipstreams and some gamesmanship were handy tools once more in the category and by the end of Saturday Alonso had 3rd on the grid while Yamanaka was in 19th. Tire preservation and racecraft will be an important key to the top five for the 20-lap contest on Sunday morning.
Over in Moto2 Jake Dixon kept up his strong momentum as one of the main speedsters in the division. The Brit was a slender half-a-second from provisional Pole on Friday on combined times and worked on maintaining that level around Mandalika on Saturday. After the hurry of Q2 – with an impossibly tight chrono - Dixon was 7th. Izan Guevara was also lively as his second half of the season upsurge in Moto2 development and education continued. The Spaniard was less than half a second from his teammate on Friday but could not squeeze out of Q1 on Saturday and ranked 27th.
Grand Prix of Indonesia MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Indonesia
1. Diogo Moreira (BRA) KTM 1:39.085
2. Jaume Masia (ESP) Honda +0.040
3. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.225
19. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team 1:40.179 (Q1)
Results Qualifying Moto2 Grand Prix of Indonesia
1. Aron Canet (ESP) 1:34.155
2. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) +0.003
3. Filip Salac (CZE) +0.019
7. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.189
27. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team 1:35.352 (Q1)
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