Augusto Fernandez will join GasGas in MotoGP in 2023

It's now official, Augusto Fernandez will move to MotoGP next season to officiate alongside Pol Espargaro in the GasGas Factory Racing team led by Hervé Poncharal. 

This announcement therefore completes the grid for the 2023 MotoGP season. “It’s incredible to be able to make the jump to MotoGP with GasGas,” he declared. I would like to thank all the members of the structure around me for their support since I signed with the team Red Bull KTM Ajo last year. I am very happy. It is a dream. We still have work to do in Moto2 and I want to aim for the title and move into MotoGP in the best way possible. »

Hervé Poncharal, for his part, is delighted to welcome a slightly less experienced driver into his structure. “I have been following Augusto for a few seasons now and we already discussed his move to the higher category two years ago, but he was not yet ready for the big leap,” said the Frenchman. When we met again recently, it became very clear that he was ready to come to MotoGP. I'm excited for next season because our box will have a mix of experience and youth thanks to Pol and Augusto. They are both Spanish and will work in a positive and constructive way and that is what we were looking for (…). »

An atypical course

Fernandez did not come from the traditional route. The Spaniard cut his teeth in the European Junior Cup, a cup contested in parallel with the Superbike world championship events. Second in 2013, he won the following year. The cup being sponsored by Honda, the winner automatically inherited a handlebar in the European Superstock 600 championship with the Japanese manufacturer. Fernandez therefore moved to STK600 in 2015. 

At the foot of the final podium, he branched off into the Spanish Moto2 championship in 2016 where he finished in fifth place. Left to return in 2017, he was called in as reinforcements by the Speed ​​Up team in the Moto2 world championship to replace Axel Bassani (now a World Superbike rider with Ducati). His performances did not convince Luca Boscoscuro who did not extend his contract for the following season. Fernandez therefore decided to return to the Spanish championship before being recruited by the team of Sito Pons, double 250cc world champion, in Moto2 to replace his compatriot Hector Barbera. Confirmed for 2019, he obtained recognition by winning three times. At that time, many thought he was going to move to MotoGP in 2020… but, that didn't come to fruition. 

Alex Marquez having moved up to MotoGP after winning the Moto2 title, Fernandez joined the ranks of the Marc VDS team alongside Alex Lowes, but the results are not at the level of 2019 since he is not never managed to make the podium. He would have to wait until last year to finish on the box six times. For 2022, Aki Ajo, boss of the eponymous team, has decided to trust him to race alongside Pedro Acosta, who has just won the Moto3 title. Fernandez returned to victory in France and recorded three more. He leads the provisional Moto2 standings with four points ahead of Ai Ogura.