Augusto Fernández arrived at the MotoGP World Championship last year with GasGas Tech3. His teammate was Pol Espargaró, so he would have an experienced person to look up to. However, the veteran suffered an injury in the second practice of the year that kept him out for several months, and it was up to the rookie to lead Hervé Poncharal’s team on the track.
After a year in which fourth place in the French GP was his best result, the Spaniard considers that there are reasons to be pleased: ‘It was a positive season. Pre-season expectations are one thing, but I was happy with how things went. Especially in the final phase, I felt that I was stronger. I have to be satisfied because the level is good and we continue to improve,’ he told SPEEDWEEK.com.
In his debut year, Fernández admitted that he was learning until the end in a reality very different from what he knew in Moto2. When asked if this constant learning is justified by the differences between the bikes in each class, #37 replied:
– I think so. When I talk to Brad [Binder], Pol or Joan [Mir], riders with whom I have a good relationship, it wasn’t like that when they entered MotoGP. It was a bike, and it was much easier to ride – much better than the Moto2 bike, with more power, better tires, everything was better overall. It’s still the case, but it’s very difficult for me to move within the performance window. It doesn’t take much and it becomes very, very bad, or the feeling is very strange – with tire pressure, temperature, all the wings and aerodynamics… it’s very good, but sometimes it’s also very bad very quickly.
