Fernandez “angry” after 2024 season but vows to return to MotoGP

Outgoing Tech3 rider Augusto Fernandez He has revealed he is “angry” because his poor performances for the 2024 season cost him his MotoGP seat – but he is confident he can bounce back in the future.

Fernandez struggled for pace in his sophomore campaign with KTM’s satellite squad, finishing 20th out of 22 full season riders with only 27 points.

This represented a significant decline in performance compared to his rookie year, when he achieved a respectable total score of 71 points and finished fourth at the French Grand Prix.

The slump led to KTM dropping him from their MotoGP line-up after just two seasons, forcing him to pursue a test rider opportunity with Yamaha from 2025.

The 27-year-old said he tried his best to adapt to the GasGas-branded RC16 in 2024, but couldn’t get to the point where he felt competitive on the bike.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Fernandez said of his 2024 campaign. “This year was a combination of a lot of things

“Maybe the bike may not be bad because of my style, I tried to adapt myself (to the bike). I can change my style.

“I’m not a rider (who says) it’s not my style and all these things. I work a lot and it’s my job and it’s my life, so at home I just work on going fast on whatever bike I go on.

“I try to adapt my style to every bike I ride, but we didn’t do that here (in 2024). I tried but we couldn’t reach a competitive base at any point.

“Of course (it’s) disappointing, of course I’m angry because of the season and everything.”

Fernandez’s upcoming switch to Yamaha was an open secret in the paddock for several months, but only this week the Japanese brand officially announced the move.

The 2022 Moto2 champion will join Yamaha in a number of official and private tests next year, while also having the opportunity to compete in select MotoGP races as a wildcard.

Fernandez hopes his new job will allow him to show what he is capable of and ultimately earn a return to competition in the coming years.

“My career is going differently than I expected (it would) but it goes on. That’s why I’m still alive,” he said.

“I will be back, I am 100% sure. So I keep working, keep working hard and maintain the level on the MotoGP bike.

“I’m not done. So I’m looking forward to this next chapter. I’m sure I’ll be back.

“It’s different just because we never see a test rider come back competitively. This is not normal but I will do it. I’m happy with what’s to come and looking forward to it.”