- The lights flashed on full-beam for the 16th time at the Lusail International Circuit and Augusto Fernandez attempted to fill the spotlight with a determined dash to 15th
- Pol Espargaro fought from the seventh row grid and takes 18th for the 21st running of the Qatar Grand Prix
- The GASGAS Aspar Team watch a gripping Moto3 race with David Alonso finishing 2nd; 0.068 behind the winner and was able to hoist his seventh trophy of the year
- Moto2™ sees Jake Dixon chart a course to 5th and now holds a great chance to lock away the 3rd place FIM medal for the season
The Saturday Sprint gave GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 and the rest of the MotoGP teams some valuable data for race set-up and tire choice to tackle the abrasive and difficult new surface at Lusail. Lasting the full 22-lap distance and with the most effective grip was the challenge for many. Augusto Fernandez strained the throttle of the RC16 from 12th on the grid and for the penultimate Grand Prix chase that followed two days of a decent quali and a bright points-scoring Sprint performance. The Spaniard had his sights set on the top ten but a lot of wheelspin away from the dirty grid meant he had to rally through, and his efforts were rewarded by the final point on the night.
Pol Espargaro had a tougher grid berth of 19th but had shown some promising pace and speed on Friday and Saturday. Front tire preservation was key for Pol to unwrap his potential and he struggled as he had in the Sprint. He ended the weekend with 18th.
Fernandez - already set as Rookie of the Year for 2023 prior to the start of the campaign but officially confirmed with the status on Saturday - is 17th in the championship standings and can still reach the top fifteen with a maximum of 25 points left to score. Both Augusto and Pol will confront their third Grand Prix on home soil next weekend with the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana at the compact Ricardo Tormo Circuit.
Augusto Fernandez, 15th: “A shame to finish the GP like this because my pace was strong and I felt a top ten was possible. My start position was good also! So, I feel disappointed. I spun a lot at the start and since then I was struggling. I made a big mistake in Turn 1 and sacrificed a lot of time. All was not lost though, and I was able to recover positions. The result did not come today but with these good feelings and decent speed then I know we are close. Let’s keep pushing.”
Pol Espargaro, 18th: “I struggled from the first to the last lap and couldn’t get the turning I wanted. It was tough. One last race in Valencia and then things will change quite a lot. Let’s see if we can enjoy it and have some fun to end the season!”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “Today didn’t quite go to plan and the only reward was the single point. We expected to be a bit higher but Augusto’s spin on the start on a dirty section of the track set him back. It dictated his chances. He rode a fast pace, so that’s even more frustrating! Pol struggled with the grip and the front feeling. We have one more chance. The last race of the championship takes us back to Europe and another opportunity to show our true level.”
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Qatar
1. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) Ducati 41:43.654
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +2.734
3. Luca Marini (ITA) Ducati +4.408
15. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +21.455
18. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +27.194
World championship standings MotoGP
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 437 points
2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 416
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati, 326
17. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, 71
23. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, 13
Moto3 and Moto2
GASGAS Aspar Team watched their Rookie of the Year, David Alonso (owner of four Grand Prix wins in 2023) take to the grid in 13th position for his first run at the Lusail International Circuit and the Moto3 affair that kicked off the evening program in Qatar. Teammate Ryusei Yamanaka was further back in 24th and on the eighth row. The flowing nature of Lusail, coupled with the sandy asphalt away from the main racing line grouped the Moto3 pack tight together, until a breakaway unit of eleven disputed the podium positions and with the top three slots of the championship very much open.
Alonso had made his customary strong start and the Columbian was in the thick of it. A solid last lap and some brave maneuvers allowed him to rush to the line in 2nd, just fractions of a second from a fifth win. The result marked his seventh podium and means he still has a chance of 2nd in the championship; he is currently 3rd and 18 points behind Ayumu Sasaki with 25 left on the table.
Yamanaka was jostling for space and points in the second half of the pack. The Japanese couldn’t find his best rhythm at Lusail and reached the finish line in 21st.
David Alonso, 2nd: “I’m happy to be on the podium at another new track for me; it’s also good for all the team. After the crash in Malaysia it’s nice to be up here again and I wanted another trophy before the end of the season. It was important for the team and feels extra nice for me because this track was tricky for my style. I learned a lot and the result tastes a bit sweeter because of this.”
Ryusei Yamanaka, 21st: “Our setup improved for the race and I was comfortable but I’d missed that feeling all weekend and therefore missed the pace. I was stuck in the group and made a couple of mistakes. Not a good race. Practice is so important and now we need to see if we can be better in Valencia, which is one of my favorite circuits.”
Moto2 was contested over 18 laps at Qatar and with GASGAS Aspar Team’s Jake Dixon focused on the goal of securing a top three championship ranking for 2023. The Brit started from 6th on the grid and needed to finish ahead or close to Fermin Aldeguer to confirm his best ever finish in the series and from what has been his most successful to-date. Dixon fought for the top four in an entertaining spat with Ai Ogura and crossed the line in 5th. He guards a 7-point margin with one round remaining. Teammate Izan Guevara launched from further back after a tricky time trying to get out of Q2 on Saturday. The Spaniard took 23rd by the flag.
MotoGP rushes back to Europe for the Grand Prix of Valencia this week. The fourth visit to the Iberian Peninsula and the traditional end of season stage for the championship.
Jake Dixon, 5th: “If I’m honest I expected more from the race. I don’t think I’ve ever ridden so many laps like it was qualifying before! I tried everything I could to keep 4th position. Frustrating. We’ll push to get on that podium in Valencia and regroup for the last chance there. They have a new surface at the track so maybe that plays into our hands.”
Izan Guevara, 23rd: “A strange Sunday. We had made a forward step with our speed this weekend but in the race I had trouble to stop and to turn the bike. I lacked some stability and that caused me to lose time and positions because I lacked faith in the tires. We’ll look forward to Valencia; a strong Spanish track where we won last year in Moto3 and we’ll have all the fans on our side as well.”
Grand Prix of Qatar photographs can be found HERE
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of Qatar
1. Jaume Masia (ESP) Honda 33:50.694
2. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team +0.068
3. Deniz Öncü (TUR) KTM +0.163
21. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team +8.140
World Championship standings Moto3
1. Jaume Masia (ESP) Honda 271 points
2. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna, 243
3. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team, 225
14. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team, 78
Results Moto2 Grand Prix of Qatar
1. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) 35:32.117
2. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) +2.643
3. Aron Canet (ESP) +2.652
5. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team +4.645
23. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team +30.571
World Championship standings Moto2
1. Pedro Acosta (ESP), 328.5 points
2. Tony Arbolino (ITA), 249.5
3. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team, 194
22. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team, 20
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