2022 FIM Awards, Augusto Fernández: “My first experience of the MotoGP was incredible”

Having got a first taste of MotoGP during the Valencia post-race tests, Moto2 champion Augusto Fernández was in Rimini for the 2022 FIM champions prize-giving ceremony. An ideal opportunity to have a chat with the Spaniard about last season and his first impressions of the Tech3 GasGas.

“My first experience was amazing”, starts Fernández. “The MotoGP is great to ride, there’s a lot of power and the braking is very strong. I had a lot of fun. There’s a lot to understand and learn but my first impressions are positive. I was struck by the way riders throw themselves into the corner, the MotoGP has great potential compared to the Moto2, and I’ll need to understand how to exploit this so I can be fast.”

The Spaniard continues, “2022 was a great season, but there were some tough times early on when we weren’t able to achieve results - we were fighting to run up front but weren’t able to win or reach the podium. It was like that until Le Mans and then after the first win it all became a lot easier, and we were very consistent for the rest of the season, managing everything well. It was the best season of my life.”

“The two previous years were difficult”, explains the current Moto2 champion, “and I was lacking the confidence to believe I could win again. So when the win came, I knew I could do more and it all became easier.”

 

Augusto Fernández: “I sought out a more economical route in developing my career”

---

You took an unusual step early on in your career, how come?

“Essentially for financial reasons, as the path that everyone takes from the FIM CEV Moto3 or CIV Moto3 wasn’t economically feasible for our family. I tried to find a route that was more financially sustainable and I had to win in every category in which I raced before moving up. That was my training before I moved to the world championship.”

What did you learn in taking a different path to your rivals?

“I had to win and stand out before moving up a category, racing for free or paying a little. That pressure definitely helped me to mature which meant I was better able to manage what came later.”

You’ll be the only MotoGP rookie in 2023. How do you feel about that?

“More rookies means you measure yourself against them, but at the Valencia test I was measuring myself against Rins, who’s been in MotoGP for many years already. You need to be more patient, considering that you’re up against very experienced top class riders. I have a great team, with Pol Espargaró who has a lot of experience with the KTM, and also Brad Binder and Jack Miller on the factory KTM team. I can’t wait to learn from them.”