It is not official yet, but everything indicates that Augusto Fernández will likely lose his full-time spot in MotoGP in 2024 – with Pedro Acosta taking his place at GasGas Tech3 alongside Pol Espargaró.
KTM has five riders for four bikes and, over the past few months, there have been several rumors about possible solutions – including a surprising departure of Jack Miller from Red Bull KTM and Espargaró’s retirement. Another route the Austrians tried was securing one or two additional spots in MotoGP with another satellite team, without success.
According to the site Super7moto.com, the decision between Espargaró and Fernández has been made: Espargaró will continue for the second season of his contract, while Fernández is demoted to the role of test rider. Acosta, on the other hand, will move up to MotoGP after likely winning the Moto2 title.
Contribuição de Espargaró para o desenvolvimento da moto na sua passagem anterior pela KTM e os bons desempenhos mesmo depois das graves lesões sofridas no GP de Portugal em março terão pesado em favor do veterano. Neste cenário, Fernández terá de se contentar com o cargo de piloto de reserva, disputando pelo menos seis Grandes Prémios na qualidade de wildcard.
