- 3rd for Acosta on his rookie spin around MotorLand Aragon with the GASGAS RC16 and on the improved new surface after starting from the front row for the first time since round three
- Fernandez dusts down from a Friday fall in Practice to lodge the 19th best lap-time and carries speed in the Sprint to take 12th
- Dani Holgado shines at another home Moto3™ event and rides the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine to 7th in Q2. Jacob Roulstone takes 15th position on the grid after an early crash in Q2
A third Grand Prix on Spanish asphalt this season brought MotoGP into the open, hot and sunny confines of MotorLand Aragon for the first time since 2022 and for the fifteenth occasion at the 5km layout close to the small city of Alcañiz. The track had been resurfaced for the return of the world championship to the venue, and although the first Free Practice session was tricky for grip the extra rubber and temperatures on Friday saw the times tumble and another lap record crumble.
Acosta and Fernandez held promising race pace on Friday even if the single lap dashes saw them just outside the direct cut for Q2 and with work to do in Q1. In the session on Saturday morning Acosta was lively, and pushed through Q1 to make the grade for Q2. Pedro stayed on the attack and his best flyer in the 15-minute session was impressive. He ranked 2nd for his second front row ranking of 2024. Augusto took to the grid in 19th.
The Sprint lasted for 11 laps on Saturday afternoon and in 30-degree temperatures. Acosta started brightly and found a consistent pace to ride to an untroubled 3rd place. His 7-point haul meant his fourth Sprint medal of the year and his first since the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello for round seven. Fernandez was fast and established a firm rhythm to rise to 12th for a substantial gain.
The Gran Premio de Aragon will run for 23 laps from 14.00 CET.
Pedro Acosta, 2nd in qualifying, 3rd in the Sprint: “We spun on the grid but I saw a quick replay and many other riders had the same. We suffered because of that but these things can happen. We tried a few things this morning and I think the low grip conditions helped us. We can be happy that we’re back on the podium but let’s keep going and see what we can do tomorrow.”
Augusto Fernandez, 19th in qualifying, 12th in the Sprint: “Happy with the Sprint. I think the pace was good and we recovered a lot of positions. Shame about the Quali but I could not put in a fast lap, and that meant we were too far back on the grid. Anyway, decent information for tomorrow and if we start well then we can have a very good race.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “A turnaround today compared to yesterday which was a bit of a struggle. We didn’t know what to expect today but when we arrived there were mixed conditions and the track was dirty. In this state Pedro showed some fast speed and that gave him a lot of confidence to prepare for qualifying. He rode a quick pace to go into Q2 and the extra session gave him a small advantage because he knew the grip. The front row was a great achievement and our best qualifying since Austin. It meant the Sprint was easier and he started well and kept in front. Our first podium since Mugello but the main target is tomorrow…and we hope for the same. On Augusto’s side of the box it’s been a good day. He missed out in qualifying and 19th wasn’t what we expected but his pace was interesting in the Sprint. 19th to 12th is obviously a good race. He enjoyed it and had nice lap-times. A good sign for tomorrow.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Aragon Grand Prix
1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 1:46.766
2. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.840
3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.842
7. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +1.726
15. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:48.649 (Q1)
19. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 1:49.238 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Aragon Grand Prix
1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 19:50.034
2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +2.961
3. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +6.694
6. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +14.144
12. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +21.429
13. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +22.110
Moto3
The top ten fastest riders in Moto3 were split by 1.6 seconds after Q2 on Saturday. Dani Holgado placed 7th during the hot qualifier. Mixed track conditions in terms of grip and rain from Friday evening created challenging circumstances on Saturday morning but the Quali sessions were dry. In the rush through Q2 it was the Holgado who notched the faster time on the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 and made sure of the third row of the grid. Roulstone was hindered by an early highside crash that meant the Australian could not register a lap-time and ranked 18th.
Moto3 gets the Aragon Grand Prix up to pace from 11.00 CET on Sunday and for a 17-lap dispute.
Aragon Grand Prix MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Aragon Grand Prix
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 1:58.059
2. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM +0.433
3. David Muñoz (ESP), KTM +1.005
7. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1.355
9. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +1.658
13. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +2.180
18. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3
19. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna 2:02.322(Q1)
21. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM 2:03.093 (Q1)
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