Augusto Fernández has been subjected to the law of Pedro Acosta since the start of the season. Already associated with his compatriot in 2022 in Moto2, Fernández won the title when Acosta experienced a first season below his expectations in the category. Reformed in MotoGP this year, the duo saw the balance of power clearly reverse in favor of the youngest, author of four top 10s in as many Sunday races… the same total as for Fernández in more than a year in the elite.
“I’m still far away, I’m not showing the results”recognized Fernández at the start of the weekend on the Jerez circuit, showing his hope on a terrain which had succeeded for KTM in 2023. The brand was more struggling this year, but the sprint race nevertheless showed promise on Saturday .
Fernández indeed managed to stay on his wheels, a small feat taking into account the 15 falls, and took seventh place in the sprint. It was his best result in the exercise and only the third time he had scored in 23 attempts, but the performance naturally took a backseat with Acosta finishing second.
After this clearing, nothing went as planned for Fernández on Sunday. Due to a clutch problem, he was unable to stop his bike properly on the grid, which was considered a stolen start and earned him a double long-lap. Having obviously noticed too late that he had received this sanction, he was not able to fulfill it in time and received a new penalty, a passage at reduced speed through the pits. Completely disconnected from the rest of the field, Fernández ended up giving up.
“I had a clutch problem, I couldn’t engage neutral. I stayed in first gear and the bike kept moving. I knew [que j’étais mal placé]. I tried to figure out the pacing and did the long lapses too late…a total disaster. We have to analyze the clutch problem because of the start, and I don’t know if the bike behaved normally afterwards. All was lost.”
Augusto Fernández
Photo by: Rob Gray / Polarity Photo
After what he himself described as “lost day”Fernández counted a lot on Monday’s test to progress: “We have to find something to be faster and I’m sure the team will solve the clutch problem, because it’s not normal.”
I’m not fast enough yet.
The Spaniard finally had a day “hard”because concluded with a fall, but “very important” Monday : “We’re still looking for settings that will help us improve our overall feel, be faster and perform better. I’m not fast enough yet, but I’m not unhappy with our day. We were able to reduce the options, we highlighted what wasn’t working and that’s positive for us because it will lead us to a solution that will work. We’re getting closer to our goal, and that’s what helps me stay motivated.”
“The process is slow, we’re going through a difficult time, but we’re not giving up. I want to apologize to the team for the crash at the end, and thank them for their work. We’re going to rest a little and recover. prepare for Le Mans, a track that I really like, and which was a good GP for us last season.”
MotoGP’s visit to Sarthe comes at the right time for Fernández since he achieved his best result in the championship last season, taking fourth place.
