Pedro Acosta ends the 25-lap chase with three sensational overtaking maneuvers, his first podium in only his second MotoGP race and the first Grand Prix trophy for GASGAS!
He has every reason to celebrate
Portimao missed some spring sunshine but brought action, fans and entertainment to the 2024 MotoGP story. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 went into Sunday’s 25-lap Grand Prix race with some insight into the performance of the tires and their potential, thanks to a thrilling sprint on Saturday that saw Pedro Acosta set a best time of 7th and Augusto Fernandez more Feel and competitiveness discovered on the #37 machine.
Acosta’s 7th place on the grid (after experiencing Saturday’s heavy crash through Q1 and Q2) meant he was able to focus on his form and strength in the early laps and then set his race pace. The rookie, who was in 9th place in Qatar two weeks ago, was able to improve to this position and beyond from the start. He overtook Brad Binder and Marc Marquez and then stalked world champion Francesco Bagnaia for a long time, sticking to the Italian’s rear wheel. Finally, he relegated his rival to 5th place with a delicious maneuver in Turn 3. On the last lap, Pedro secured third place, becoming the third youngest podium finisher in the history of the premier class and getting his first Prosecco on the podium!
Augusto fought with two other riders on the edge of the top ten and came home with a deserved 5 points for 11th place. An improvement on Qatar two weeks ago and a shot of confidence for the upcoming Grands Prix.
After Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 has prepared its pit setup and structure for the European races, the team is now packing the transport boxes for another race date. The third round will begin in three weeks with the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
Pedro Acosta, 3. Platz: “What can you say about today? From the start of the race the bike worked incredibly well. At the moment I don’t feel 100% comfortable in sprints – but that will come – and in the longer races with a full tank and harder suspension “I’m feeling a lot better. I’ve been riding like this my whole life! But man, we must be super happy! Our first podium in MotoGP! The team has worked super hard. For example, we have some in the warm-up this morning Tried things to help us in the first few laps and they worked. The bike was very good from the start, but little by little we’re getting to the point where we’re getting the pace we really want.”
Augusto Fernandez, 11: “A big step today. After a good start, I coped with the low grip and also had some good position battles. I made a few mistakes because I wanted to push more, but we know we have to make progress and get points. Our pace is there at the moment, but we’re happy about the points and want to keep improving. Congratulations to Pedro. Unbelievable!”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “What an incredible result and what an incredible weekend here in the Algarve. We knew Pedro would have good pace this weekend and that with a good start he could stay at the front, but what a race. We We saw all his talent as he got to the front and overtook these riders, these champions. A great result for the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 team and we can only be happy and enjoy the moment. We’re looking forward to it See you back on a motorcycle as soon as possible! Congratulations also to Augusto for not giving up. He faces his problems and he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. He was close to the top ten and if he keeps working like this, Then he’ll be back at the front very soon.”
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati 41:18.138
2. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati +0.882
3. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +5,362
4. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +11.129
5. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +16.437
11. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +28,244
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Jorge Martin (ITA) Ducati, 60 points
2. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 42
3. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati, 39
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 28
9. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 16
16. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 5
MR/Editorial