Front row for Augusto Fernandez at Phillip Island
15/10/2022Augusto Fernandez will start from second on the grid, with Pedro Acosta in eighth position
Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix was held on Saturday, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders made their way directly into Q2, before Augusto Fernandez took second place and Pedro Acosta eighth.
The last free practice session of the weekend was held in the morning. Fernandez was focused on improving his times after not having the best feeling in FP2 on Friday. The current leader of the Moto2 standings was among the frontrunners, placing third with a 1:32.993 from his 14th lap. Acosta also felt more at ease on Saturday and kept up a good pace. He upped his speed after stopping in the garage and took sixth with a time of 1:33.503, from a total of 19 laps.
Q2 began with somewhat delicate track conditions due to low temperatures. Fernandez started qualifying aware of the importance of a good position on the grid for the race, and quickly set a pace that allowed him to enter the Top 3, then tried to improve his time. A red flag late on ended the session earlier than expected, and he will start second on the grid, on the front row for the eighth time this season, thanks to a 1:32.306 lap. Acosta improved steadily, feeling more and more comfortable on the fast Phillip Island track. The Moto2 rookie was able to qualify in the Top 10, in eighth place, through a 1:32.872 achieved on his last lap. He will take off from the third row of the grid.
The 25-lap Moto2 race of the Australian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday at 12:20 PM local time.
Results (Qualifying session)
1. Fermin Aldeguer (Boscoscuro) 1:32.233
2. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:32.306 +0.073
3. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) 1:32.543 +0.310
4. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 1:32.721 +0.488
5. Aron Canet (Kalex) 1:32.837 +0.604
8. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:32.872 +0.639
#37 AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ
“I’m happy with the front row. I was able to set a good lap and we have a good pace. It will be important to start at the front in order to fight for the podium and the win. In general, the pace of other riders is strong, but I see myself as capable of fighting with them. We are working well with the team and we have a lot of confidence.”
#51 PEDRO ACOSTA
“We worked well for the race, which was our main objective. It took us a while to set a good lap in qualifying, but we’re confident for tomorrow. It’s been a good day and tomorrow we can do well here at Phillip Island.”