MotoGP riders reflect on Jerez Sprint Race – MotoGP/2/3 Qualifying

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round Four – Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España
Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto – Saturday

Jorge Martin – P1

“Marc pulled a gap once he overtook me, but then I was able to keep that gap, and try and catch him again, and for sure would try to the end. But maybe to be realistic was second, I pushed quite a lot at the beginning, so maybe I used too much of the tyre, and from that point, I tried to follow Marc until the crash, and to finish. Going to the finish line was enough to win today. I didn’t expect it in the morning with these wet conditions, so it was a special day, and hopefully, tomorrow, we can improve and also fight for victory. I didn’t know at the time about the crashes, I saw all the guys were far behind, so I took low risks when I was in front, and for sure, corner five was really difficult to see the damp patches; it was easy to go on the ground, corners eight, corner nine, last corner was very complicated to finish today. And we did it so I’m really happy, we used a lot of experience to finish today and get the most points possible. For sure there’s some riders with pace for the first laps [tomorrow], but I feel confident we’re strong to fight for the victory, Marc maybe with the soft was more competitive today, but we’ll see with the medium and hopefully we can make it to the podium.”

Pedro Acosta – P2

“It was quite tough to judge a mixed track and to see the wet patches, especially in Turn 5 and I was losing some time there. I could not get closer to the riders I wanted to pass, but, anyway we are working on what we are missing from these races, like the Sprints and the time attacks. We were quite fast at the start, this was nice. This is the important thing. I think we have the best fan club here in the whole circuit! It was really nice to celebrate like that.”

Dani Pedrosa – P3

“A hectic race because the track conditions were tricky. It was very easy to hit a damp spot and slide. I stayed very precise and benefitted from all the crashes. I recovered a lot. In the last laps I tried to overtake a few times but I did not know we were fighting for the podium because I could not see my pitboard that well. When I came into the Box I thought it was 6th or 7th! For a moment it looked like we had missed out by half a tenth of a second but the penalties arrived and I’m really happy for the whole team. They deserve it. We didn’t do so well in practice or have a good feeling in the quali so starting from P16 the hopes were lower than for a podium! We will take this great finish today.”

Fabio Quartararo – P5

“On the first lap, I gained close to ten positions, and I think this was the key to be fighting for a podium position. The track conditions were really tricky, and this caused many crashes at the front of the pack. Many people crashed in one particular corner, so I thought there was something on the track there, but I stayed focused, and I think it was great for us to be fighting, with Dani especially. He was behind me all the Sprint race: I could hear his bike. I didn’t know until the last two laps that I was fighting for third position, but it was nice. Especially the last lap was quite impressive. The penalty is a shame, but tomorrow we can try again. Hopefully, we can make a similar start, but realistically, if we’re able to finish inside the top 10, I think that would be a really great result.”

Marc Marquez – P6

“When the job appeared to be done, I relaxed one second and ended up on a tiny wet patch. It wasn’t bigger than 20cm, but it was enough… We race as protagonists despite a so-and-so start, but we’ll have another chance tomorrow. It’ll all be different because the track will be fully dry and we will likely change the rear tyre option, but we’re on pole and we must aim at the podium.”

Augusto Fernandez – P7

“A crazy race! I knew in those conditions it would be important not to make mistakes, stay on the bike and to finish. There were some wet patches on the line, in Turn 5 especially, and it was easy to make a mistake and go wide. We’ll take the points but we’re struggling for better rear grip, so let’s see if we can try and improve that tomorrow and have a good race.”

Miguel Oliveira – P8

“The Sprint was very tough. Already at the start I couldn’t unclick my front ride height device and basically, until turn six, I had no front suspension at all, so it was quite hard to keep up. I lost so many positions. I quickly understood that the conditions were very difficult and I needed to stay on the bike first and try to finish as the start did not go my way. But then everyone started crashing and eventually gave me the opportunity to finish in the points. I think I could have done a little better if it wasn’t for Marc (Marquez) overtaking me and taking me wide in turn nine twice, but it is what it is; I also didn’t have the pace. I was a second off, and quite early, I had no grip with the rear tyre to stop and accelerate out of the corners, so, together with the team, we had to have a look into it. I just lost too much time and it’s not ideal.”

Joan Mir – P9

“I was feeling a lot better with the bike today and I was riding well. The conditions weren’t easy with some wet patches still on track and it was a chaotic race. I made a great start, and I overtook a couple of guys, breaking away from the group behind me and I was with Raul Fernandez most of the race. I then had contact with Marc Marquez, and I lost three or four positions. Last year there was a similar incident between Quartararo and myself and I had a double long lap penalty the next race.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P10

“Today’s Sprint was chaotic; there were many crashes. I tried to analyze the situation and avoid mistakes as the conditions were tricky. I did my best, and after the gathered information, we’ll make some small modifications to take a step forward on tomorrow’s race”.

Johann Zarco – P11

“It was a thrilling battle out there. In the last two laps, I pushed hard to keep up with my rivals, and on the final lap, I managed to create a gap. However, one of my competitors made a move and overtook me, leading to my crash when I tried to regain my position. This is part of racing; we’ll try again tomorrow”.

Raul Fernandez – P12

“I’m happy to finish the race – more than for the position. From yesterday to today, the team did a great job after the challenges we had to manage all the electronics. I’m not completely delighted but I am happy about the decisions we took today and the work we did. The Team work very hard for me, which makes me really proud although we still need to see what happened because we improved the electronics but the feeling with the bike was not the same as yesterday. Honestly, we need to spend a bit time to find out what we have to do. We know we are strong, we have the potential and I feel very comfortable with the bike and also to work with Davide. He gave me some good advice in the best moment, so it’s really a pleasure to work with him. Day by day we feel better and this makes me feel fortunate. We gathered some good information today. Tomorrow will be important again and we have to finish the race in the best possible position, so we need to feel stronger to try to attack more. I think we have room to improve for tomorrow.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P13

“Today’s race was a shame, we started in dry conditions, but there were a few patches of water on the track. We were at the limit with the slicks and it wasn’t easy to understand the real situation with the helmet on. I crash almost immediately after the start, I lost the wings of the bike, and I really struggled to arrive to the finishing line. Apart from the crash and then the penalty, I can still be happy with the qualifying, we are there. At the start I could have been more careful, I didn’t brake enough at the first corner, the device was still in and I lost ground in the first sector. For tomorrow I feel good, we can have a good race.”

Jack Miller – P14

We had an issue at the start and that meant I had to pick the bike up after it was hopping a bit into the last turn as I committed to the line. The guys are having a look at it now. I just tried to circulate and understand more. It’s been one of those runs at the moment. We just need some ‘clean air’ because I think we are really close to something.”

Alex Rins – P15

“During the Sprint race I gave my maximum. It was a shame I just lost the front while overtaking a rider. It was a big pity, because I felt I had a better pace than the riders in front of me. But, anyway, it’s hard for us to overtake. Apart from this, I’m quite happy because we know what happened in the quali, in those wet conditions. So, for sure, for the next wet session we’re going to try to do the electronics in a different way. And that’s it. Congrats to Fabio! He got a great result and made a rocket start, and the team deserve this. We are fighting this battle together: we are giving everything and are pushing each other, and this is a boost for the team.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P16

“It was an unlucky race with the crash. It’s a pity about Aleix and Maverick too. The track conditions were undoubtedly extremely demanding. In any case, we’re working on several new solutions with the goal of taking Aprilia to the top.”

Luca Marini – DNF

“It was a crazy race, there were a lot of wet spots and the wind was very high. It was really easy to make a mistake and especially in the Sprint race where everyone is pushing a lot and trying to overtake a lot, it’s quite difficult. Especially for us where we are struggling in ‘normal’ conditions, it made it really hard. I fell alone like many other riders at Turn Five. There was a lot of wind and a big wet patch on the outside. I am okay and we try again tomorrow.”

Stefan Bradl – DNF

“Coming in as a wildcard, the Sprint is always the most unique part of the weekend. I was honestly feeling quite good in the race and was happy with the progress we were making. Conditions were quite difficult as it had been wet in the morning and there were still some patches out on track. Sadly, we fell right at the end as we were on for a good result with what was happening around us. I am OK after the crash, so we go again tomorrow.”

Maverick Vinales – DNF

“There were some wet areas on the track but they weren’t visible, especially on turn five. The crashes were strange. For example, Aleix had a bad fall on turn eight because that area was wet. My pace was practically identical to the riders ahead of me, so my goal for tomorrow is to give it my all and to keep looking forward. Some days you win and other days you learn. Today we learned.”

Alex Marquez – DNF

“The weekend so far has been extremely positive and with today’s start, we were ready for a great result. Too bad for that wet patch at turn five as three of us got tricked by it at the same time. We need to repeat the same start tomorrow and leave Jerez after a good performance.”

Brad Binder – DNF

“I knew I had good pace, so it was important to cross into Q2 and give it a good go. Conditions were sketchy this morning: it was not really dry or wet! I was happy with 4th and I had a great start in the Sprint but there were more patches than I thought. I went a bit too wide and had to chill out a little bit to figure out where I was going! Unfortunately, when Alex [Marquez] crashed in front of me in Turn 5 I checked-up a bit and hit a wet spot and lost the front. Disappointing to crash because we were in for a good one. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

Enea Bastianini – DNF

“It was quite a good race, as the feeling had improved compared to yesterday. With four laps left, at turn five, I tried to pick the bike up as soon as I saw both Brad and Alex crashing out almost at the same time, but with the water lifted it was very complicated to stay upright. Unfortunately that’s what happened and we need to look ahead, we’ll try to do well tomorrow.”

Marco Bezzecchi – DNF

“A bittersweet Saturday: I did well in qualifying, I felt really comfortable with the bike and I didn’t have a bad start. In the race, however, I made a few mistakes, it was nice to be back fighting in the group, but the track conditions were very difficult with the wet patches. The sensations are positive, a shame about the final epilogue, but I can’t complain about today. The crash surprised me, I had just seen the leading guys crash in front of me, then I made a mistake at turn 6 and a crash at turn 7. I’m sorry, but I know we can do well tomorrow.”

Francesco Bagnaia – DNF

“I was quite comfortably following the riders in the leading group and the goal was to overtake them, but it was not easy due to some coming togethers and for what eventually happened. It’s really a pity because I was feeling very strong and I believe the win was within reach, but things went differently. We will try to battle for the podium and eventually for the win tomorrow, but it’ll be important to stay out of trouble and try to ride at my own pace.”

Aleix Espargaro – DNF

“It was a complicated day and our expectations were higher. We were not competitive with the morning rainfall but then in the Sprint Race, I had an outstanding start, recovering four positions. Unfortunately, I went over a wet area and had a bad crash. Fortunately I am fine physically. Tomorrow we’ll try again.”

Jerez MotoGP Sprint Race Results

(8 second time penalty applied for Quartararo, R Fernandez, Rins, Miller, Di Giannantonio for tyre pressure infringement)

MotoGP Sprint Race Report

For Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), it was a smooth Tissot Sprint at the office at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0. But behind the #89, who extended his Championship lead, chaos reigned in Spain. 15 riders crashed, all ok. Most or many remounted. Rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) took second and made his first visit to the Sprint rostrum in front of a rapturous crowd. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) initially celebrated there too, gaining an unreal amount of positions, before a tyre pressure penalty demoted him to fifth. And that promoted MotoGP Legend and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing wildcard Dani Pedrosa to third.

Polesitter Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) crashed out the lead but remounted and then went on a charge, taking no prisoners. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) slid out in three separate incidents but in perfect sync. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), meanwhile, got the short end of a sandwich between Binder and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), deemed a racing incident but with the other two continuing. COTA winner Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) also went down, and the list didn’t end there as a largely dry track, but not perfectly just yet, caught out some big big names. But let’s rewind to the start of a dramatic and chaotic Sprint.

As the lights went out, Marc Marquez bolted left to cover Bezzecchi and Martin, but Binder nailed it from P4 and nabbed the holeshot instead. The KTM put the hammer down immediately too, gaining some breathing space ahead of Martin, Marc Marquez and a storming start from Gresini team-mate Alex Marquez. By Lap 2 Martin was back on the tail of Binder, however, attacking for the lead immediately.

Marc Marquez was next to strike, seeing the Prima Pramac machine starting to pull the pin and elbowing Binder out the way to give chase. But it wasn’t job done quite yet, with Binder replying at the final corner, pushing the #93 wide and then having his own moment on the exit, allowing both Gresini machines back through.

The drama then started really heating up. Three into one doesn’t go, and as Bezzecchi divebombed Bagnaia at Turn 1, in fairness getting it stopped pretty well, the reigning Champion was pushed a little wide. So Binder went for the gap, but Bezzecchi had gathered it up, leaving Bagnaia sandwiched as the #1 got punted out of action, rider ok but left on the sidelines. It seemed like the big drama of the day at the time, but it was only the half of it.

The next was Binder, Alex Marquez and Bastianini as they all slid out, leaving Acosta in third after he’d caught the group following his own misadventures in the early stages. Up ahead though, there was some distance to #MM93 and even more to Martin, with those two looking set to duel it out.

The gap from #89 to #93 had been coming down, and fast. Marc Marquez was on a charge and one small error from Martin had seen him lose the momentum with six laps to go, giving the Gresini a chance to strike. And it didn’t go begging, with the eight-time World Champion taking over in front. Martin would try to respond, but not long after that, he needed to no longer as the number 93 in the lead suddenly slid off, leaving Martin in free air in the lead on home turf. Acosta was at a distance, and now the race was on for the #89 to hold on. For Marc Marquez, the race was on to recover as many positions as possible.

Viñales then slid off, adding another key contender to the list, before the spotlight went back to Marquez as his charge started elbowing riders behind out the way, including a nudge of former Repsol Honda teammate Joan Mir, for which the #93 was then given a drop position penalty, quickly served. Meanwhile Quartararo was on his own march, gaining 14 positions in the first two laps and now in podium contention as he’d kept the hammer down, but he had close company from Pedrosa.

As Martin crossed the line up ahead, Acosta followed him home at around three seconds back in a Spanish 1-2 on home turf, and it’s a first for both – Jerez win for Martin, and Sprint podium for Acosta. But behind, the battle for third went to the wire as Pedrosa homed in on Quartararo, after Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) proved another faller, forced to forfeit that battle. The #26 shadowed the Yamaha ahead round the final lap but couldn’t find a gap, forced to settle for fourth before that post-race penalty for Quartararo. Then, it was that historic P3 as the Frenchman’s 8s penalty demoted him to fifth.

Amongst the chaos, Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) kept it together to take his equal best Sprint result in P4, ahead of Quartararo’s ultimate position. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) crossed the line in P6 but also got the automatic +8s tyre pressure penalty, dropping him out the points. Marc Marquez took that sixth by the flag after his charge, ahead of Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing); also sent wide by Marquez on his comeback, and Mir, who recovered from that incident to take the final Sprint point in P9. Bezzecchi and Diggia ultimately crashed out, riders ok. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) didn’t make it round Lap 1, and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed early on too. Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) both also crashed out.

In the aftermath of such high drama, Martin remains supreme at the top… but Acosta is now second in the standings and 29 points behind Martin. Bring on Sunday…

MotoGP Championship Standings

MotoGP Qualifying

Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) raised the roof on home turf at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España, taking his first pole on a Ducati and the 93rd pole of his career. It was pure vintage Marquez too – moving the benchmark in the damp followed immediately by an almighty save round Turn 1. But no one could overhaul his lap, and the #93 heads the grid ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).

MotoGP Combined Qualifying Results

Moto2

Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) stormed to pole position at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España, putting in a statement performance on Saturday as he continues the search for that first win of the year. Joining the #54 on the front row will be Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) who sneaked onto the front row after a great final lap – ending the session 0.438s adrift. CFMOTO Aspar Team’s Jake Dixon secured third, claiming a first front-row start of the season.

Heading the second row of the grid will be Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2), who will start from fourth after a great qualifying – ending the session ahead of Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team). The #10 will start inside the top five after setting a blisteringly quick 1:41.657 in tricky conditions. Americas GP and Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) starts from sixth, rounding out the second row.

Senna Agius – P19

“I’m pretty devastated because I made a mistake with the track limits. The track got better and better and I think if we had gone through, we would have improved further. That’s my problem, it’s the position on Saturday because this category is so tight. Let’s take it as it is: our pace is good, and we have improved some weak points that I had in the past at this track. Also, the feeling is not that bad though, I was honestly a bit unlucky today. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t qualify further towards the front to have a better chance on Sunday. But my pace is good enough to finish in the points tomorrow. So, I’m fully focused on scoring points, that will be the goal.”

Moto2 Combined Qualifying Results

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) has been the fastest rider in Moto3 since Sunday at the Portuguese GP, and in Jerez even more so. The Colombian has been untouchably quick in most sessions so far and was so in qualifying for the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España, over a second clear of the field until a late attack from David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) to cut the gap to just over two tenths. After duelling Alonso on the timesheets earlier still in the session, Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) completes the front row.

David Alonso – P1

“Leading the last wet practice has been like a victory for me, because I had a pending subject with the rain and I have overcome my fears. For qualifying, the track has dried out at the end, something that didn’t seem very clear. I have been very careful with the water patches and I have pushed as hard as I could. For the race, the tyres will be at the limit, we have to see what strategy and what tyre we will use, because we will have to save a bit for the end.”

Row 2 is Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports), Rysuei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) and Q1’s fastest rider, rookie Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing), meanwhile Championship leader Dani Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) crashed in the session and will have to put in a comeback from P18.

A fall cost Jacob Roulstone his chance at a strong start so he will also have plenty of ground to make up from 17th on the grid.

Jacob Roulstone – P17

“Eventful day is the least we can say. I felt good in the wet conditions this morning, but while I was on a good lap, I crashed. I still headed to Q2 thanks to our great Friday, which I was happy about. In Q2, I had to pit in after the out lap, which was a bit of a disappointment, but I remained calm until I exited the box. Then we crashed on turn 5, a bit unlucky, but we have a good pace, so we will try to do a good job in the race.”

Moto3 Combined Qualifying Results

Moto3 Championship Standings

Jerez MotoGP Schedule (AEST)

2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)

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