Augusto Fernandez and Pedro Acosta finish fourth and ninth, respectively in Free Practice

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders were competitive on the first day of the San Marino Grand Prix. Augusto Fernandez was the fourth fastest competitor on Friday, while Pedro Acosta was ninth on the combined timesheets. Both made their way provisionally into Q2.

The pair started the morning session with the aim of being competitive from the get-go. Fernandez suffered a small crash at Turn 1 at the beginning of FP1, but rejoined the action and ran a great pace until the end. Thanks to a time of 1:36.817, achieved on his 13th lap of 15, he placed fifth, just two tenths off the top spot. Acosta continued to improve and had an upward progression in the morning session. After putting in 20 laps, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider finished fourteenth thanks to his 1:37.420.

Track conditions were more favourable for FP2. Fernandez set a good pace and, after a pit stop, was one of the fastest riders with five minutes to go. He improved his lap times to collect the second fastest time of the session on his 14th attempt of 18, with a 1:36.670. Fernandez was fourth overall.

Acosta also upped his pace in the afternoon, and was a constant in the Top 10. A final push gave him a 1:36.928 time on his last lap, earning him ninth for the day.

Moto2 qualifying takes place on Saturday from 3:10 PM, local time.

Results (Combined practice times FP1 – FP2)
1. Celestino Vietti (Kalex) 1:36:573
2. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) 1:36.597 +0.024
3. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 1:36.668 +0.095
4. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.670 +0.097
5. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 1:36.692 +0.119
9. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.928 +0.355

#37 AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

“We had a minor crash at the start of FP1. It’s not the best start, but we were able to work. In the afternoon we continued to make progress and we focused a lot on the race. Tomorrow it’s time to go one step further and we’ll continue to work hard.”

#51 PEDRO ACOSTA

“Friday went better than we expected. I feel more and more comfortable and we qualified provisionally for Q2, which was the important thing. It’s a very positive step forward. Tomorrow we have to be fast in order to qualify as best we can, so that in the race we can get a good result.”