MotoGP riders reflect on Sprint and Qualifying at Catalunya – Moto2 – Moto3 – MotoE

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round Six – Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya
Catalunya – Saturday
MotoGP rider’s reflect on Sprint Race

Aleix Espargaro – P1

“I have no words to describe this weekend. It’s a dream and I am experiencing so many beautiful emotions. It was a difficult race. The track did not have much grip and the pace the others set in the early laps was rather high. In any case, I knew that it would be difficult to maintain that pace, so I told myself to be patient and not to overtake in the early laps. The strategy worked and I am finally back on the top of the podium.”

Marc Marquez – P2

“I must say that this morning we made an important adjustment to the bike and I felt more comfortable; still, I wasn’t expecting this comeback. I knew I had a great pace in France, here I just found myself in the right position and made the most of the opportunity. It was a great race, but the temperatures tomorrow are going to be even higher and the Ducati machines struggle a bit more in these conditions. We’ll give it a try!”

Pedro Acosta – P3

“Not a bad way to celebrate (my birthday) today but the truth is that it was a super-difficult race for me, maybe the hardest of my short career in MotoGP so far for grip and management and how the front tire was hot like hell! I was suffering but happy with all the work we are making and how we’re able to be fast at another track. We must keep working in this way.”

Jorge Martin – P4

“Congrats bro! (Aleix Espargaro), today I just couldn’t be fast and I struggled a lot behind the pack.  Let’s try it again tomorrow.”

Enea Bastianini – P5

“The day didn’t go as expected, especially after the steps forward we made yesterday. Unfortunately, this morning the feeling went back to the one I had at the beginning, and it was hard. Furthermore, I got a good lap cancelled in qualifying as I rode over the green stripe at turn 13, so I found myself quite far back on the grid. The sprint race went quite well: I had a good start but unfortunately a coming together with (Marc) Márquez sent me off the track and from there on I was unable to return on the leading group. It’s a shame, but we’ll try to do better tomorrow.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P6

“I have to say that we did a great job, especially last night. Q1 was fantastic, we didn’t do badly in Q2 either and the second row is still a good result. In the Sprint I got a wrong start: I wasn’t positioned well, the bike wheelied a lot, I lost power and positions. It’s a shame, we have a big potential, we can compete in the strongest group and be there tomorrow.”

Jack Miller – P7

“Q2 wasn’t bad and the bike is working really well. I got a bit hung up with the yellow flag at the end. I got a decent start in the Sprint but suffered with the lack of grip and trying to work out where it was best. I was trying to hang in there with the boys and make that grip margin better because it feels like no two sessions are the same. The last sector punished us a bit and it’s so hard to accelerate; you just have to keep momentum. A couple of points on the board but considering how the weekend has gone so far we want a lot more than that.”

Maverick Vinales – P8

“I didn’t have great sensations on the bike and I was unable to be competitive. I feel like I’m always at the limit with the front tyre and I can’t brake. It was difficult, but I’m still optimistic because we have another opportunity in the long race. We’ll work in the garage to have a better feeling in the race. I’m extremely happy for Aleix and for the team. They deserve this win.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P9

“Let’s say that it hasn’t been an easy weekend so far, I’ve made some steps forward, especially in braking, but the level in Q1 was very high. The Sprint wasn’t bad, but it’s not what I want. The grip conditions here are singular, I thought I would have sensations similar to those of Jerez, but instead I can’t stop the bike. I’m not perfect in mid-corner. I go wide, I lose speed and I put a lot of stress on the front tire. We’ll try tomorrow, but it won’t be easy.”

Fabio Quartararo – P10

“It was half and half today. Our bike is supersensitive to grip conditions: when grip drops a little for the others, it drops completely for us. The starting point of our lap times was much slower, but in terms of pace it was what I expected. It’s the last sector that’s killing us. I was catching Maverick and Jack, who were in front of me, but in the last sector we lost 0.3s every lap, so we have to work on this. But I’m riding well, and looking at the data, we can see we are pushing in the right direction. I’m really looking forward to the tests in Mugello and Valencia, because I think it could mean a pretty big change for us.”

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Alex Rins – P12

“It was a tough Sprint race. We are following our evolution. We are working hard during all practices, and even in qualifying, to try to understand the bike better and get closer to the limit. In the Sprint race, it was so hard for me at the beginning to stop the bike with the full tank. Lap by lap, as the fuel level dropped, I was going a little bit better. But even so, we have to continue working on the bike.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P13

“Today’s goal was to analsze the situation and understand how to manage the Sunday race. We’ve struggled with the rear grip but are doing our best with our package. Tomorrow’s race will be long; we’ll try to push and fight as much as possible”.

Alex Marquez – P14

“Unfortunately my race ended straight away after a coming together at turn four, moments after the start. I found myself at the back of the field and from there I tried to find my pace. Too bad, because the potential was there to score some points. It’ll be a whole different story tomorrow.”

Joan Mir – P15

“It was an important Sprint race for the information to give to the engineers, so I am happy we were able to get some good data. We have made some progress in some areas and need to keep working in others and at this track it really shows. For Sunday I think there’s still some margin to improve tomorrow and try to fight for the points which will be our objective. Right now, it’s about the future.”

Luca Marini – P16

“I was able to finish much closer to my teammate today which is a positive. We are working a lot on the bike to keep improving and I think we found something at the Mugello Test which is working here. It’s better to ride the bike but we can keep working to gain on the overall performance. There wasn’t a lot of grip on track today, the conditions were very tricky and I think you could see that in the race.”

Augusto Fernandez – P17

“I had a problem with the front start device and I almost pulled in. Anyway, I stayed out to find some data because it’s been a difficult weekend so far. Tomorrow will be a long race and the goal will be to try and get as close to the points as possible. Let’s see if we can make it happen and then look to Italy.”

Stefan Bradl – P18

“It has been a complicated 48 hours, but I am happy that we were able to return to the track and get back to work – this is the most important point. Missing Friday afternoon put us on the back foot but the whole Test Team worked well to get done what was in our plan. I made a mistake in the Sprint and went wide which compromised our whole race. Now we rest a bit more and try to be stronger again for Sunday’s Grand Prix.”

Francesco Bagnaia – DNF

“We spent some time after the race in the pit-box to analyse the crash: I hit the brakes at the same spot and I was a little slower, but two degrees more in the leaning angle led me to the crash. It wasn’t anything big, but this is the reason behind the tumble. It’s a shame, because I was fast and I was controlling the margin at the front; I knew I had the pace and I was trying to keep everything in check, and I started to push once I saw that the others were starting to struggle. Obviously I’m very disappointed, especially because this is the third weekend in a row coming out of the sprint race empty-handed. It’s clearly a missed opportunity as the 12 points were well within reach, so I’m a little bit angry about it. I’ll need to be more careful tomorrow, especially at turn five.”

Johann Zarco – DNF

“I was sliding, and at the maximum angle, a rival got me. It’s been a race incident; it’s part of racing. Despite that, I was a little frustrated with my race pace, as it was difficult to keep the fight against some rivals; I wanted to do more but couldn’t”.

Brad Binder – DNF

“At the end of the day I tried my best. I felt good, felt fast and thought my best would be enough. Unfortunately, I lost the front in Turn 5, which is easy to do at this track and I don’t feel like I did much wrong to be honest. I was trying to ride clean because I was leading the race. I’ve been really fast this weekend and we’ll try again tomorrow.”

Miguel Oliveira

“I had a good start in the Sprint and I was in the points which was not bad. But, then, I lost the front quite late in turn five and that’s all that happened. I didn’t feel amazing with the front end and also the rear dropped off after some laps so we have to look at that but I guess everyone else’s choice for the rear tire will be different for tomorrow. I was frustrated about my crash because I was not attacking in the braking area so I didn’t lose it on the brakes. If anything, I was a bit conservative even, but it was still not enough to save a crash. It was a difficult qualifying session; I was less than a tenth away from going through to Q2 and then was four tenths to pole position. It was quite tight and apparently the lap record was not enough to go through but at least we managed to do competitive times.”

Raul Fernandez

“I made a mistake. I would like to say sorry to the team, they did a fantastic job since yesterday. I didn’t have the feeling to go fast on Friday, but we had a really long meeting and my crew chief and my data engineer did some great work to make me feel super good with the bike today. But, although I made the mistake, I still want to take the positives from today. We were very strong, I enjoyed riding and I could do what I wanted on the bike, which felt great. Tomorrow we have another opportunity, another race and I will try to do the same, getting a good result and just enjoying myself, which is the key to going fast.”

MotoGP Sprint Race Report

As the lights went out, Bagnaia took the holeshot from second on the grid, with Acosta slicing up to lead the chase. Binder also got a fast start to move up but then lost out again to Raul Fernandez as the Aprilia slotted into third.

It didn’t take long for Acosta to attack for the lead, but it likewise didn’t take long for Bagnaia to hit back. Raul Fernandez was harrying them though, and as Acosta attacked into Turn 1 on Lap 3 and took it back, the Trackhouse machine lined up the reigning Champion at Turn 3.

Then it was all change in glorious but relatively clean havoc at the front, with Raul Fernandez emerging as the race leader after barging past Acosta. The Trackhouse machine was absolutely flying as Binder and the rookie duelled just behind him, both the position and some extra RC16 glory on the line. Once Acosta made it stick at Turn 1, Fernandez was already eight-tenths clear. But suddenly, it then all came apart for the Trackhouse rider as he slid out at Turn 10, rider ok but head in hands.

From there, Binder vs Acosta looked like it would light up the battle for the lead, but the 33 got the upper hand and started to build a gap – leaving Bagnaia to wrestle with Acosta instead. Soon enough though the second race leader to slide out became Binder, the front end of the KTM saying goodbye at Turn 5.

That left the lead as a duel between Bagnaia and Acosta, or vice versa. Turn 1 was the battleground, and the rookie pulled what was fast-becoming his Barcelona signature move, but Bagnaia was quick to find an answer up the kerb on the inside of Turn 3. Brutal? Yes. Job done? Yes. From there, Bagnaia started to build a gap, and Espargaro was on the march next to test out Acosta’s defences, finding a way through to take up the chase on the reigning Champion.

That left the master and the apprentice locked in a battle over third: Acosta led Marc Marquez. And this time, in a beautiful reverse of that statement Turn 1 move Acosta has been revelling in, it was Acosta under attack as Marquez sailed into the corner side by side with the rookie, taking over in third.

The final drama was dealt on the very final lap. Seeming like he had the race won, Bagnaia was then suddenly sliding out at Turn 5, seeing what could have been a key haul of points disappear in the gravel trap as Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) suffered a tougher Sprint outside podium contention.

Espargaro swept through for the spoils, in just enough clear air to ensure he held on for that fairytale win.

Marquez held off Acosta around the final sector, too, and what could have been a key title swing proved much less as Martin’s drama-free Sprint saw him take P4 despite not having initially had the pace for it.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) made a solid comeback from outside the top ten on the grid to complete the top five and, with that, moves back into the top three in the standings, too, as Bagnaia drops to fourth.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was sixth – finishing in the same position he started and taking some solid Saturday points. Jack Miller brought the remaining Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine to seventh after battling with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), who rounded out the top eight after charging from 12th. The final point in the Sprint went the way of Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi, having sliced up from P16 on the grid, with everything still up for grabs on Sunday.

Catalunya MotoGP Sprint Race Results

MotoGP Championship Standings

MotoGP Event Top Speeds

MotoGP Catalunya Combined Qualifying Results

Moto2

Moto2 World Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) will start the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya GP from pole position after setting a brilliant 1:41.894 in the opening stages of qualifying.

Garcia was 0.240s clear of Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors SpeedUp), who pushed hard on his final run but was unable to match the pace of Garcia. Rounding off the front row after battling through Q1 will be Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – just a further 0.048s slower than Aldeguer.

Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) heads the second row of the grid in fourth position. Like Vietti, Canet came through Q1.

QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 duo Albert Arenas and Manuel Gonzalez qualified fifth and sixth, but Gonzalez then got a three-place grid penalty for impeding Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors SpeedUp), so he’ll start in P9 behind Alonso, replacement rider Daniel Muñoz (Pertamina Mandalika GAS UP) and Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing).

Senna Agius was the fastest rider in Q1 to earn his promotion through to Q2, where he will already be in the thick of the points battle thanks to his 12th starting position on row 4. The Australian is confident that he can achieve a personal top result with a consistent race pace, but good tyre management will also be omnipresent for him tomorrow over the race distance.

Senna Agius – P12

“It’s getting better and better. To be honest, I hoped to get straight into Q2 from Practice 2 this morning. But it was so tight, and everyone was so close. So, my lap time wasn’t good enough. But when I came back into the pits and saw what had happened, we all kept calm and the plan was always to get as much out of Q1 as possible and then get through. In any case, we are getting better because we made a good step a few weeks ago. But hopefully, we can soon start to get a little closer to the sharp end. The next step for me is clearly to make better use of the tyres, there is still a lot of potential there, but our performance window is also still a little too small. Let’s put it this way: the feeling is thrilling, but the tyres are very special. Everyone is certainly faster and feels better, but for me, the performance window still has to open a little. Since Friday, I’ve been concentrating on the pace, and I think we’ve made the most of it. But the tyre consumption and the question of how to handle it in the race will be decisive.”

Moto2 Catalunya Combined Qualifying Results

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

Pole position at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya goes the way of Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) after a brilliant final flying lap and a stunning final sector. Ortola took his first pole by a mere 0.019s from Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), who looked confident throughout the whole session, setting a good time early on and then leaving it late to exit pitlane on his final run. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will start from third, setting a strong time late in the session.

It was a dramatic end to the session with CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team’s David Alonso initially in second, pitting for new tyres and exiting the pitlane with seconds to spare. It was all change down to the final lap though, with red sectors everywhere and Rueda setting a strong time before Ortola took it after improving on his last flying lap.

Yellow flags were also out after a crash from Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power) and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) – cancelling Alonso’s time and leaving him on the second row, behind Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI squad).

David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) will start from seventh as he made it through Q1 and improved on his last flying lap. Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) will join Muñoz on the third row in P8, with Holgado forced to start from ninth on the grid after his crash.

Australians Joel Kelso and Jacob Roulstone will start from 14th and 16th, respectively.

Jacob Roulstone – P16

“We made it to Q2 from Q1 and I am quite happy with our feeling in qualifying, even if I was unlucky in the end and got the yellow flag. The race will be difficult for sure as we will start from the middle, but I am heading to tomorrow feeling confident, the pace is good, and we have everything to try doing a good result on Sunday.”

Moto3 Catalunya Combined Qualifying Results

Moto3 Championship Standings

MotoE Race One

The first race of the day for the FIM Enel MotoE World Championship at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya delivered a new winner in the MotoE class as rookie sensation Oscar Gutierrez (Axxis-MSI) took his first victory and in fine style. Just pipping Eric Granado (LCR E-Team), who returns to the podium for the first time since Austria last season, the top two rode home ahead of Kevin Zannoni (Openbank Aspar Team) who picked up his second podium in the last three races.

Once the lights went out, championship leader Mattia Casadei (LCR E-Team) stole the race lead at Turn 1 with Zannoni and Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP) keen to keep Casadei close. Meanwhile, polesitter Granado had a tough opening lap, dropping to fifth. But the opening lap was none more dramatic than for Nicholas Spinelli (Tech3 E-Racing) as the three-time winner and championship contender in 2024 crashed out at the final corner.

As the race raged on, Zannoni managed to surge from his eighth-place grid slot to the lead thanks to a hefty slipstream on the front straight. Garzo followed suit, dropping Casadei to third and that was only the start of the world champion’s difficulties as he eventually slipped back to sixth, bringing to an end his incredible streak of 11 podiums in a row.

Into the closing laps and a lead group of six riders, all had eyes on glory. The pivotal moment of the race was the triple bubble slipstream that saw Gutierrez slingshot to the lead as the leading four went four-wide into Turn 1. Putting the hammer down, Gutierrez slammed in a new lap record that very lap to spread the pack. Granado held Gutierrez honest and going into the final lap we were poised for a showdown.

Ultimately, though, Gutierrez hung on for his first victory by just 0.131s despite Granado’s best efforts. Zannoni’s third place is confirmation of his elevated 2024 form as he managed to hold off Garzo. Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-Racing), who squeezed past Casadei heading into the final lap, took his second top-five on the bounce.

Behind, there’ll be more questions for Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) and Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini Team) with seventh and eighth finishes, respectively, as they continue the search for the final few tenths they need. Rounding out the top 10 were Miquel Pons (Axxis-MSI) and Massimo Roccoli (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse).

MotoE Race One Results

MotoE Race Two

The second race of the day for the FIM Enel MotoE World Championship was a chaos classic at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. This time around, it was Kevin Zannoni (Openbank Aspar Team) who charged to his first-ever victory in MotoE after having to fend off not one, but two riders in the closing laps. Race 1 winner Oscar Gutierrez (Axxis-MSI) led that charge to contend Zannoni for victory with Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-Racing) following up closely behind for his first podium in nearly three years.

As the lights went out it was the reigning champion and then championship leader – a hint at the drama that lies ahead – Mattia Casadei (LCR E-Team) that took the early lead. But his early advantage wouldn’t last for long as Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) quickly took over the mantle from his teammate, slipstreaming from third to first to do it.

As the smiles brandished themselves across the faces of the LCR E-Team personnel at the possible chance of a 1-2 finish, they would soon be wiped away. First, Casadei would dramatically crash out at Turn 10, his first mistake of the season. And then just a few laps later it was double disaster for the LCR camp as Granado slipped off his MotoE machine at Turn 5. They wouldn’t be the only team to see a championship contender go down though, as Nicholas Spinelli (Tech3 E-Racing), who took a brilliant double victory last time out in France, went from hero to zero with his second crash of the day rounding out an overall dismal Saturday in Barcelona for the sophomore.

After all the incidents, MotoE’s newest winner Gutierrez inherited the lead with a possible dream double handed to him on a plate. But with Zannoni and Zaccone hot on his heels we were in for two laps of incredible tension. Flying onto the final lap Zannoni, and as he had done so many times through the day, slipstreamed his way to the lead. Gutierrez had dreams of a last lap last sector move, but those were thwarted by and exhibition in attacking to defend from Zannoni.

Putting in what was essentially a qualifying lap, Zannoni showed no sign of nerves as he rounded the final corner and crossed the line for a stunning first victory in MotoE – a race where he started eighth on the grid too. Gutierrez would have to settle for second as Zaccone’s third place secured his first podium in almost three years.

Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) took fourth thanks to the chaos in front, with Hector Garzo (Dynavolt IntactGP MotoE) completing the top five.

MotoE Race Two Results

MotoE Championship Standings

2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)