Holgado makes the Moto3™ podium as Fernandez completes fast-paced Aussie MotoGP™

Augusto Fernandez reached the checkered flag of the Australian Grand Prix for a hard-fought 17th position after a long, bright and windy 27-lap race around the high-speed curves of Phillip Island. Pedro Acosta was forced to sit out the seventeenth round of the season and the first date in a rapid charge to the conclusion of the 2024 campaign in the coming weeks. Daniel Holgado scored a decent 2nd place in Moto3™

• Fernandez builds on confidence scored from his Sprint score but struggles with consistent grip and finishes 17th
• Acosta withdraws from the Grand Prix with a painful left shoulder after a fall during the Saturday Sprint through the Siberia corner
• Moto3™ spurs for Daniel Holgado in 2nd position and with Jacob Roulstone giving his home fans reason to cheer with competitiveness and a top 13 result in his maiden Grand Prix outing at Phillip Islan

Race day at Phillip Island provided more breezy spring weather at the scenic venue on the verge of the Bass Straight. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 were not able to count on Pedro Acosta for the seventeenth Grand Prix race of the season due to a sore left shoulder after his Saturday spill.

Augusto Fernandez launched from 17th and with fresh memories of his progress from Saturday around the 12-corner natural flow of the racetrack. He started to make some strong moves through the long 27-lap distance but then had to focus on managing his grip and pace to reach the flag and just missed out on the points.

Pedro Acosta, Rookie of the Year, is 6th in the MotoGP championship standings. Fernandez is 20th. The Grand Prix of Thailand at the Chang International Circuit takes MotoGP straight to Buriram this week as the series moves onto the second installment of the triple header.

Augusto Fernandez, 17th: “I didn’t feel so good in the race. I had grip with the rear tire but it just wasn’t consistent. It took a lot to manage and I felt unbalanced. We weren’t so far in terms of our speed so we need to analyze this imbalance because we could have been better today. The pace was very fast out there. There were moments when I felt good, so let’s try to make more of those.”

Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “After yesterday’s crash Pedro was in pain and nothing was broken or drastic but this morning he was still suffering and for safety he decided not to race and to have some more scans. We will have some more information in a few hours. So, it was just Augusto today and we were hoping for more after Saturday’s Sprint but he had some issues in today’s race and he couldn’t go any faster. We only wish a speedy recovery for Pedro and we hope to see him in Thailand next week.”

Results MotoGP Australian Grand Prix

1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 39:47.702

2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +0.997

3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +10.100

7. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM +15.450

11. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM +19.932

17. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +30.533

DNS. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3

World Championship standings MotoGP

1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati, 424 points

2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 404

3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 345

5. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM, 192

6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 181

14. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM, 71

20. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 21

Moto3

The 21-lap Moto3 Grand Prix began with Daniel Holgado seeking more podium contention and starting from the middle of the fifth row while Jacob Roulstone was pumped to be racing in front of his home fans for the first time in his career. The Aussie was next to his teammate on the grid and tried to get into the same close-running group vying for the leading positions.

As the laps wound down and the riders tried to manage their Pirelli rubber on the resurfaced and abrasive Phillip Island asphalt, it was Holgado who inched closer to the dispute for the podium after barreling back from a tough opening phase of the chase. The Spaniard judged his ride to perfection to secure P2 and his seventh trophy of the season. The points also boosted his bid for 2024 runner-up status. Roulstone relaxed with points for P13 and a return to better competitiveness.

Once the engines had cooled, Holgado was able to look at a Moto3 world championship table where he now holds a firm 2nd place and is 33 points ahead of 3rd with a maximum of 75 left this year. Roulstone is 15th.

Daniel Holgado, 2nd: “A very good race for me, especially after a bad first lap. A typical Moto3 start! I pushed really hard and I’m really happy with my pace and my last lap strategy. The team worked really hard on the bike yesterday so I thank them for that. These last three races will be interesting because the championship picture is very important for us and the push for 2nd.”

Jacob Roulstone, 13th: “An amazing experience to race in front of the Aussie fans for the first time. I saw so many flags. I struggled a bit in the race to pass some of the boys in the middle of the group but after the last few rounds it was good to be back in that group. I felt at home in the dry here. It gave me some confidence for the last few rounds.”

Results Moto3 Australian Grand Prix

1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 33:49.557

2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +2.936

3. Adrian Fernandez (ESP) Honda +2.939

9. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) KTM +3.908

13. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +4.478

15. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna +12.466

16. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +30.578

17. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM +30.611

DNF. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna

World Championship standings Moto3

1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 346 points (Champion)

2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 232

3. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna, 209

8. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM, 128

13. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna, 82

15. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 53

17. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 45

22. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM, 11