The Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit was another stage for Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s Pedro Acosta to produce a riveting performance as the 20-year-old Spaniard raced to 5th place in sweltering and sapping conditions. Teammate Augusto Fernandez rode well to progress from a P21 grid slot to take 10th in a race of physical, mental and tire attrition. Daniel Holgado is still in play for 2nd position in the 2024 Moto3™ world championship despite an early race fall.
For the second weekend in succession the heat was on for MotoGP. The Malaysian Grand Prix brought an end to a triple header that involved trips to Australia, Thailand and the demanding Sepang International Circuit.
Acosta had moved into the top ten by the first pass of the checkered flag after the race had to be restarted due to a Turn 2 pile-up. Fernandez was also proactive with his overtaking. The race then became a pacing exercise to stretch tire potential and energy reserves all the way through the 20-lap pursuit. Pedro fought with Alex Marquez for 4th and passed the flag only a second from his countryman for 11 hard won points. The result was his seventh top five classification of the season. Fernandez was strong and defiant, and his 10th place represented his best standing of 2024.
The outcomes of the Malaysian Grand Prix mean that Acosta is 5th in the Riders championship standings while Fernandez is 20th. The cancelled Valencian round will be replaced by another venue for the final fixture of 2024 to be confirmed in the coming days.
Pedro Acosta, 5th: “A strong race but not enough. I lost time overtaking other riders at the beginning and if I was a bit more on the pace then I could have been closer to 4th. The front tire temperature was high and it was tough to manage. I did not want to put the race in the bin for nothing. Happy enough. It was important to finish the race.”
Augusto Fernandez, 10th: “Happy with the top ten and especially with the pace in the race. I had to really manage the tires but I felt great and could overtake and push forwards. I tried to grab that 9th place but, anyway, I’m satisfied with the best race of the season, also in terms of feeling. Better late than never! Now I cannot wait until the last race.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “Finally we are quite happy with these results here in Malaysia. We improved on our qualifying and turned the GP around so I have to congratulate both riders for their efforts. After the Sprint we identified some issues and we found some room for improvement with Pedro and starting from p13 for another top five – both races in the points – is a great achievement, and he is also up to 5th in the championship. Also congratulations to Augusto. We know it has been a difficult season for him but we saw some spark in the Sprint and Sunday was a personal best this year that will give him some energy and power to close the campaign in the best way possible. Thanks to the mechanics for all their hard work in this heat. We’ll get ready for the final round.”
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