MotoGP Thailand J1, Augusto Fernandez (Tech3 GAGAS/10): “this is my first direct Q2 of the season”

Disappointed with his retirement on Saturday at Phillip Island and with no chance of improving things with the cancellation of Sunday's Tissot Sprint, Augusto Fernandez was delighted to get back in the saddle immediately with another weekend of racing at Buriram. The rookie made decent progress over the last two rounds, but unfortunately the results did not reflect the milestones achieved by the number 37. The Chang International Circuit was the ideal circuit for him to shine just before heading home. home for a well-deserved week of rest...

During Free Practice 1, the rookie found his rhythm quite quickly on the Thai circuit which he was discovering for the first time on a MotoGP machine, as he closed the session in P6 with a best lap of 1'31.343 at + 0.823 sec from the leader George Martin. The track conditions were still dry for the afternoon practice sessions, and all the drivers reduced their times, but it all came down to the last five minutes as everyone went into attack mode against the clock to attempt to climb into the top 10.

It was a very close match with sixteen drivers finishing within 0,5 seconds of each other, but Augusto Fernandez managed to achieve a perfect lap in 1'30.130 which earned him tenth position, qualifying him directly for Q2.

Augusto Fernandez: “ we will work hard tonight and try to have a good Saturday »

This is the first direct ticket of the season for the rookie in Q2, a huge achievement for the number 37, and he intends to take advantage of it tomorrow during the last qualifying session by aiming for his best position on the grid of the year, and why not his best performance in the Tissot Sprint when the lights went out for thirteen fast laps…

« This is my first direct Q2 of the season, which has been our main objective in recent rounds, so I'm really happy that we finally made it » commented equipping it with a Pol Espargaro fifteenth. “ Normally we feel the opposite, but today I was good at attacking the clock while we struggled with race pace. Therefore, we have work to do tonight to try to prepare ourselves in the best possible way for the sprint and the race ". And he ends: “ but of course, have the guarantee of starting from the first four lines is an important thing for us. We will work hard tonight and try to have a good Saturday ».

Practice results for the MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix in Buriram:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com