MotoGP returned to the flat and fast Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in western Argentina for the first time since 2019, and it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder who was the fastest qualifier on a KTM RC16 for round three tomorrow.
- Third consecutive Q2 qualification cut for Binder
- All three classes have just one day of practice and qualification
- Moto3™ joy for rookie Daniel Holgado with a second-row slot in 6th
- Augusto Fernandez 2nd on the grid once again in Moto2™
Argentina
The return to Argentina and the atmospheric circuit – that has been the home for MotoGP for the last six editions of the Grand Prix – began difficultly.
Late freight arrivals for paddock sections meant the organizers were forced to cancel Friday’s Free Practice schedule and install a condensed timetable for Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP on Saturday only. The format meant even less time for the teams and riders to set up their bikes for the sunny and warm conditions.
Red Bull KTM saw Binder go straight into Q2. Despite a technical setback, the South African blitzed to a pacey lap in FP1 and then FP2 as Oliveira entered narrowly missed Q2 by just three-tenths of a second.
Binder, who had qualified 7th and 4th in the previous two rounds, set the 8th quickest lap on his first attempt and then was vying for a Pole time through his last try, but a small mistake in the third sector through Turn 7 ended his quest. He finished in 12th.
Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Raul Fernandez was 21st and only six-thousandths of a second faster than Remy Gardner in 22nd. The MotoGP race starts at 20.00 CET on Sunday.
Brad
Brad Binder: “A perfect day except for the last exit! I’m thrilled with the bike and how we have worked today. It was a little bit of a particular format, and I learned the track quickly and became competitive right away. My pace on worn tires is perfect, and I’m super happy with the feeling I have when the grip goes away.
I was unlucky in qualifying, but I had my normal feeling back when I changed to the final set of tires. I was coming around fast, but unfortunately, I made a small mistake when I nudged my gear lever under braking; shifting an extra gear when you are meant to be braking doesn’t help. I’m a bit frustrated because we should have been on the first two rows, but I’m ready to fight tomorrow.”
Miguel
Miguel Oliveira: “A tough day and not quite what we are used to. We were very close to the top ten after Free Practice, but we didn’t get in. Overall, I struggled with rear grip, so I hope we can find a solution for tomorrow and have a good race.”
Raul
Raul Fernandez: “It was only my second time here in Argentina, and I think we had a joyous day. During Free Practice 1, I felt like I had too much work to do, and I did not understand things very well. Between the sessions, the team worked well, and I was able to improve during FP2 considerably.
The positive feelings on the bike came back, and we were able to produce a session with a good race pace. I think that tomorrow’s race will be interesting for us, so I will try to enjoy it!”
Remy
Remy Gardner: “Today overall has been a tough day. I crashed during Free Practice 2 and lost a bit of confidence simultaneously.
We need to improve our qualifying sessions because it is our weak point. We have another forty minutes tomorrow to improve and hopefully find a better direction for the race.”
Moto3 & Moto2
The Moto3 and Moto2 classes also endured the rush of the reduced track time, and for riders such as Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Deniz Öncü and Adrian Fernandez and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Daniel Holgado, Saturday’s session provided the first taste of Termas (Jaume Masia had raced in Argentina in 2019).
Holgado was the fastest Academy KTM RC4 runner through Q2 to grasp 6th on the grid: a personal best for the rookie so far. Joel Kelso was the top KTM rider in 4th.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez was just a tenth of a second away from Pole Position in Moto2. The Spaniard pushes away from the middle of the front row for the 23-lap race tomorrow. Rookie teammate Pedro Acosta was 17th.
Races: April 3rd – Moto3 17.00 CET | Moto2 18.20 CET | MotoGP 20.00 CET
Results Qualifying MotoGP Gran Premio Michelin de la República Argentina
- 1. Aleix Espargaro (ESP) Aprilia 1:37.688
- 2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +0.151
- 3. Luca Marini (ITA) Ducati +0.431
- 4. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Honda +0.477
- 5. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia +0.508
- 12. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +1.244
- 16. Miguel Oliveira (POR) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (Q1) 1:38.871
- 21. Raul Fernandez (ESP) Tech3 KTM Factory Racing (Q1) 1:39.153
- 22. Remy Gardner (AUS) Tech3 KTM Factory Racing (Q1) 1:39.159
Results Qualifying Moto2 Gran Premio Michelin de la República Argentina
- 1. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) 1:43.306
- 2. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.150
- 3. Tony Arbolino (ITA) +0.207
- 17. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.899
Results Qualifying Moto3 Gran Premio Michelin de la República Argentina
- 1. Sergio Garcia (ESP) GASGAS 1:48.429
- 2. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna +0.171
- 3. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS +0.195
- 4. Riccardo Rossi (ITA) Honda +0.297
- 5. Joel Kelso (AUS) KTM +0.306
- 6. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.436
- 12. Jaume Masia (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.757
- 16. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.102
- 23. Adrian Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 (Q1) 1:50.229
via KTM Press
