- 20-year-old Acosta makes his presence felt in the ultra-tight chase for lap-time supremacy at Mugello. He takes 7th on the timesheets, and a third Sprint trophy after a riveting rush for maximum Saturday points
- Fernandez pursues front end feel for the fast curves of Mugello and is able to finish 17th; over twenty seconds faster than his Sprint effort of 2023
- Incredibly close times in Moto3™ and the chronic need for effective slipstreaming sees Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 duo Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone negotiate quali for 5th and 7th respectively
For almost four decades the Autodromo del Mugello has been the reference for beauty, grace and mind-boggling motorcycle racing pace. For many the natural valley setting and high-speed ‘flip-flop’ flow of 15 turns at Mugello sets the standard for MotoGP at its brave best.
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 came into this ‘arena’ with Pedro Acosta again showing phenomenal adaptation to the demands of the premier class. The youngster was immediately setting lap-times near the top of the practice sessions on Friday and pushed the limits to find the most effective lines and braking markers. He earned a direct Q2 entry for his efforts. Augusto Fernandez continued his quest for speed and went into Q1.
The slightly unstable climate on Friday gave way to relentless sunshine and decent Spring conditions on Saturday, after FP3 the crew dipped straight into quali. Augusto was 10th in Q1, meaning 20th on the grid for the afternoon Sprint and the 23-lap distance on Sunday. Pedro had 15 minutes to abuse his throttle in Q2 and was 7th with just 0.9 separating the twelve riders in the session.
From the outset of the 11 laps in the Sprint Acosta was roving around the top five. He made passes and glided up to 4th and was then able to maintain his pace in the top three and bring the GASGAS RC16 home for 7 points. Fernandez made it to the flag in 17th.
Pedro Acosta, 7th in qualifying, 3rd in the Sprint: “Super-nice…but we know it could be better because we feel the improvement in our Saturdays and our qualifying. Our starts are also improving. We are coming closer to the top. We are closer than people think. We are on our way. More tomorrow!”
Augusto Fernandez, 20th in qualifying, 17th in the Sprint: “Tough day. The feeling was a bit better in practice and the quali but we tried something to improve it for the Sprint and it went the other way. We’ll keep working to try and get some more competitiveness for tomorrow.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “Another shiny day for the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 team here. Pedro showed all his talent this morning and managed to secure a third row. In the Sprint he rode a good race, stayed calm and finally ended on the podium, which was one of his targets. It’s a good sign for tomorrow because he likes to put everything together and learn as much as he can from the Sprint. On Augusto’s side of the box it’s been difficult. We are trying things and looking for results…but I firmly believe that this is not Augusto’s level. Let’s go back to work and aim for more tomorrow.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Italy
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 1:44.504
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.043
3. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia +0.183
7. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.524
13. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:44.994 (Q1)
19. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:45.824 (Q1)
20. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 1.45.893 (Q1)
21. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:45.943 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Italy
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 19:30.251
2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +1.469
3. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +4.147
6. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +8.271
12. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +13.988
14. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +18.259
17. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +23.060
Moto3
Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone were part of a Moto3 pack that had to negotiate a drying Mugello asphalt on Friday. The Spaniard and Australian tried a few different settings in the compromise between maximum speed and acceleration and prime agility for the rapid curves. Roulstone threaded through the Friday chrono to make sure of 8th while Holgado still had some work to do to acquire a few tenths of a second per lap in 13th.
Saturday was the moment of truth for the best grid spots. Both racers were through to Q2 and in the final rush for tows, slipstream and opportunities on track it was Daniel who seized a spot on the second row with 5th, 0.9 from Pole. Jacob was also strong and will line-up just behind his teammate in 7th.
Moto3 will get fast for 18 laps at 11.00 on Sunday.
Grand Prix of Italy MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Italy
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 1:54.194
2. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM +0.247
3. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM +0.603
4. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.712
5. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.918
7. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1.015
11. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM +1:396
15. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna +1.706
19. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO 1:56.856 (Q1)
PRESS CONTACT
EVANGELIA SISSIS