- Pedro Acosta completes the 25-lap chase with three sensational overtaking moves, his first podium finish in just his second MotoGP race and the first Grand Prix trophy for GASGAS!
- Augusto Fernandez pushes for his first Grand Prix points of the year and meets the checkered flag in 11th
- More speed and glory for Daniel Holgado with Moto3™ victory! The Spaniard also bags his second consecutive podium finish in 2024 and P1 in the early world championship standings
Portimao missed some spring sunshine but brought action, fans and entertainment to the 2024 MotoGP story. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 headed into the 25-lap Grand Prix race on Sunday with some indication of tire performance and their potential thanks to an engaging Sprint on Saturday where Pedro Acosta logged a ‘PB’ with 7th place and Augusto Fernandez discovered more feeling and competitiveness on the #37 machine.
Acosta’s 7th place grid position (after experiencing the intense dive through Q1 and Q2 on Saturday) meant he was able to concentrate on his form and potency in the opening laps and then establish his race pace. The rookie was 9th in Qatar two weeks ago but swiftly sliced into that position and higher from the off. He overtook Brad Binder, Marc Marquez and then stalked world champion Francesco Bagnaia for a long period, climbing all over the Italian’s rear wheel. He finally relegated his rival to 5th with a delicious move into Turn 3. The last lap granted Pedro P3 to become the third youngest premier class podium finisher in history and his first spray of podium Prosecco!
Augusto battled with two other riders around the edge of the top ten and came home with a deserved 5 points for 11th. An improvement over Qatar a fortnight ago and a shot of confidence for the Grands Prix to come.
After building their pitbox setup and structure for European rounds, Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 now repack the flight cases for another long-haul appointment. The Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin will bring round three to life in three weeks.
Pedro Acosta, 3rd: “What to say about today?! From the beginning of the race the bike was working unbelievably. I am still not 100% comfortable in the Sprint at the moment - but it is coming – and in the longer races with the full tank and the harder suspension I feel much better. I have been racing like this all my life! But, man, we have to be super-happy! Our first podium in MotoGP! The team have been working super-hard. For example, we tried some things in warm-up this morning to help us in the first laps and they worked. The bike has been super-nice from beginning but, step-by-step, we are arriving to the point of getting the pace that we really want it.”
Augusto Fernandez, 11th: “A big step today. I managed the low grip after a good start and also had some good fights. I made a few mistakes because I wanted to push more but we know we need to make steps and take points. Our pace is here right now but happy to get points and want to keep building. Congrats to Pedro. Incredible!”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “What an unbelievable result and unbelievable weekend here in the Algarve. We knew Pedro could have good pace here this weekend and with a good start he could stay with the leaders but what a race. We saw all his talent when he moved to the front and passed those riders, those champions. A great result for the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 team so we can only be happy and enjoy the moment. We are looking forward to seeing him again a bike as soon as possible! Congratulations also to Augusto and who doesn’t give up. He is facing his problems, and he is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. He was near the top ten and if he keeps working like this then he will be back near the front very soon.”
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 41:18.138
2. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati +0.882
3. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +5.362
4. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +11.129
5. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +16.437
11. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +28.244
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Jorge Martin (ITA) Ducati, 60 points
2. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 42
3. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati, 39
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 28
9. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 16
16. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 5
Moto3
Dani Holgado started the 19-lap Moto3 Grand Prix from the second row of the grid and a promising 4th position after the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 was, again, one of the fastest riders in practice and qualification. The winner of the 2023 Portuguese GP gassed his machine right into the mix and swapped the lead various times as the group of contenders dwindled to just three racers by the final lap. Mindful of narrowly missing out in Qatar, Dani was strong and resisted the challenge from countryman Jose Antonio Rueda to take his RC 250 GP across the finish line in 1st. The achievement marked his fourth career win - and for the team - but his first for GASGAS. He tops the early championship standings by 7 points.
Rookie Jacob Roulstone again showed quiet assurance in only his second appearance for the crew. The Aussie qualified well – in the middle of the fifth row – which helped him plug into the second group pushing for the top ten. A decent 11th at the flag means yet more points, more racecraft and education.
Daniel Holgado, 1st: “An amazing job this Sunday. I’m happy because Friday and Saturday had been very difficult…but the team have been working really hard for me. Qatar was not good in the last lap, the last corner but today was perfect! Thank you to all.”
Jacob Roulstone, 11th: “Quite happy with the race. I left it all out there, which was the main thing. The only thing that could be better was my first laps and I need to be more aggressive. Still, it was a step up from Qatar. I fought my way back as much as I could. The bike felt really good with a couple of changes we made for the race. The team is leading the championship, which is great, and I learnt a lot today.”
Grand Prix of Portugal MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of Portugal
1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 34:09.038
2. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.044
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM +0.820
4. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO +2.218
6. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP +2.263
8. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +5.430
11. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +16.213
13. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP +20.682
14. Vicente Perez (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +20.776
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 45 points
2. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 38
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM, 23
4. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP, 21
5. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 20
10. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 13
11. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP, 12
12. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 11
19. Vicente Perez (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 2
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