Augusto Fernandez completes the opening day in seventh place, with Pedro Acosta eleventh.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders kicked off the Australian Grand Prix on Friday with the first practice sessions of the weekend. Augusto Fernandez and Pedro Acosta improved their times on a day in which track conditions affected performance, finishing in seventh and eleventh position, respectively.

FP1 was interrupted by a red flag after the opening minutes due to the state of the track after another rider crashed. Acosta also fell at the start of the session due to the strong winds, and despite escaping unharmed he would not compete in the remainder of the session. Fernandez felt very comfortable and was the early pacesetter before stopping in the pits. When rain appeared in the final minutes, he avoided taking risks and stayed in the box. A time of 1:34:704 on his 11th lap of 15 kept him top of the timesheets.

Low temperatures and strong gusts of wind continued in FP2. Fernandez looked for a good pace and feeling with qualifying and the race in mind. The current leader of the Moto2 World Championship worked hard to improve his times after the opening laps and stay amongst the frontrunners. With 20 laps completed, his 1:34.619 on his 13th attempt put him seventh. Acosta completed his first laps at Phillip Island in the afternoon, and quickly felt comfortable at the Australian circuit. He improved lap after lap and set the eleventh best time of the day with a 1:34.850.

Moto2 qualifying will take place on Saturday from 3:10 PM local time.

Results (Combined practice times FP1 – FP2)
1. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 1:33.767
2. Fermin Aldeguer (Boscoscuro) 1:34.149 +0.382
3. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) 1:34.228 +0.461
4. Joe Roberts (Kalex) 1:34.508 +0.741
5. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 1:34.544 +0.777
7. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:34.619 +0.852
11. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:34.850 +1.083

#37 AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

“The track was in delicate conditions in the morning, although I felt good riding. In the afternoon we decided to try some new things, although they didn’t turn out as we had hoped. I didn’t feel so comfortable, but we are focusing well on what we need to work on from the first practice onwards. I feel good and I’m confident of getting a good result tomorrow.”

#51 PEDRO ACOSTA 

“It was very windy this morning and that was the cause of my crash. I couldn’t ride in FP1 so we only had FP2 available. We knew it would be a tough circuit due to the conditions, but we’ve improved a lot. It’s a fast track and I think we will be able to do well here. We have to keep working to continue adapting as best as possible.”