Hard-fought points with 13th place for Augusto Fernandez at French MotoGP™

The massive, vibrant crowd that filled Le Mans for the Grand Prix de France and round five of 2024 MotoGP were treated to another action-packed spectacle. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s riders were in the midst of the battle as Augusto Fernandez tackled the 27-laps to take 13th and 19-year-old rookie teammate Pedro Acosta crashed out of a dispute for the top six.

• Augusto Fernandez pushes the GASGAS RC16 hard in the search for championship points and the Spaniard ends the day in 13th
• Pedro Acosta has a slow crash vying for the top six
• Moto3™ thrills provided by Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone as the duo aced the pace in one of the closest contests ever at Le Mans. Holgado earns a brilliant P2 and leads the championship

Anticipation and volume hit new heights at another capacity-filled Le Mans for the annual trip to La Sarthe. The Bugatti circuit inside the historic motorsport complex provided a grippy but also tricky Grand Prix challenge for the MotoGP teams. The mix of hard braking and accelerating zones was complicated by an overcast climate that threatened French rain and had the teams practicing for a bike swap and flag-to-flag outing.

MotoGP blasted around the track and was cheered by the crowd for 27 gripping laps. Acosta and Fernandez started from 7th and 20th on the grid and Acosta made an ambitious launch from the third row. The rookie lost control of the front end under braking on the second lap, slid into the gravel at ‘Garage Vert’ and could not rejoin. Augusto kept pushing his times and rose through the rankings to enter the points. The Spaniard did not stop there and plotted a course to 13th for 3 decent points, a slice of confidence and signs of progression.

Acosta’s fine campaign so far means he has tallied enough points to sit 6th in the championship standings, while Fernandez is 17th. The Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 squad are situated 6th from 11 in the Teams table. The Gran Premi de Catalunya at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will entertain round six in two weeks’ time.

Augusto Fernandez, 13th: “My start was bad and we paid for that in the race. I had the soft tire so I thought I’d be better but these things can happen. It was a hard and tough race! Taking the positives of the weekend, it was the best GP for my feeling on the bike and we were more competitive, so I’m looking forward to Barcelona to keep this line and build up my confidence and speed.”

Pedro Acosta, DNF: “Not a bad weekend overall. After the Sprint we made a big step with the setting of the bike and my feeling at this track. I made a good start and there were many guys making mistakes. Anyway, it’s another year of no results here: it is becoming a tradition! So, let’s take this ‘back’ at the next one.”

Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “This year we leave the French Grand Prix thinking about what could have been. Pedro was quick in the warm-up and went into the race with a great feeling. He wanted to fight at the front but made an early mistake. He’s still young and this was the first error of the season. I think it will help him to bounce back and be a stronger rider even if he is frustrated at the moment because the potential was there. Augusto’s three points was a small reward for the whole team but it’s still not the position we are targeting with him. His feeling with the bike is improving but we need to start the weekends in a better way and be higher on the grid if we aim for improved results. Onto Barcelona.”

Results MotoGP Grand Prix of France

1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 41:23.709

2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.446

3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.585

8. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM +10.353

13. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +27.426

DNF. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM

DNF. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3

World Championship standings MotoGP

1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati, 129 points

2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 91

3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 89

6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 73

7. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM, 67

13. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM, 24

17. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 13

Moto3

Moto3 tore around Le Mans for 20 laps and the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 squad had decent expectations for their power pairing of Daniel Holgado and Jacob Roulstone thanks to the practice and qualification speed of the Spaniard and Australian. They took to the grid in 2nd and 11th positions and with the intention of filing straight into the leading group.

The Moto3 pack snaked into a gathering of 15 riders that filtered down to 10 as the heavy braking and accelerating criteria of Le Mans kept the contenders tightly wound. Holgado grabbed P1 on the first lap and set the pace, never dropping lower than third. On the final lap David Alonso edged through, and despite two strong attempts Holgado could not force his way back and secured the runner-up berth by just a tenth of a second. Roulstone, who has captured attention for his fast adaptation to Moto3 in his rookie season, was again brightly competitive and only slipped into the second pack with five laps remaining. From there the Aussie made sure of 12th.

Daniel is currently front in the Moto3 points table (with 12 career podiums) and with a margin of 1 over the next nearest rider. Jacob is 13th.

Daniel Holgado, 2nd: “An incredible race…but difficult. The others pushed very hard. I was happy with my speed and my pace and 2nd is very good for the championship. My rivals are strong now but I’m pleased with my race. I need to stay focused.”

Jacob Roulstone, 12th: “I was quite good at the start of the race and this is something that I’ve struggled with previously. I opted for the medium tire so I knew it would come good. I settled into my groove and got up to 7th but then into Turn 2 one of the other riders ran me wide. My shoulder was a bit weak this weekend but something I could handle. I have learned a lot this weekend and I’m happy with how I got to grips with the track. I will take that into Barcelona.”

Results Moto3 Grand Prix of France

1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 34:00.058

2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +0.105

3. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.242

4. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +0.234

8. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) KTM +1.035

9. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna +1.101

12. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +6.903

16. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM +13.275

World Championship standings Moto3

1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 94 points

2. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 93

3. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna, 62

8. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 33

11. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna, 30

12. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM, 28

13. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 27

22. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM, 3