It does not feel like so long ago that Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 was in Malaysia for the traditional opening winter test of the season with a MotoGP™ newbie in the name of Pedro Acosta, and a Augusto Fernandez ready to take on his second season in the premier class. Yet, nine months have gone by, and the team is back at the Sepang International Circuit, located in the outskirts of historical capital city of Kuala Lumpur, for the final leg of the fly aways, and the penultimate round of a thrilling 2024 campaign, the Grand Prix of Malaysia.

Almost not a rookie any more, Pedro Acosta is arriving in Malaysia in great shape after a fabulous third position in the wet at the Grand Prix of Thailand last Sunday, a fifth Sunday MotoGP™ podium that put an end to his DNFs series. Indeed, until Buriram’s main race, the Shark had not completed a race since his podium in Mandalika back in September, so it is without a doubt that last week’s result has been good for the team’s spirit. Acosta will arrive in Malaysia with confidence from his most recent result, but also from his six days spent at the track during the winter testing. All these put together let us think that Acosta will be able to get up to speed even quicker than usual, so the rookie will be one to watch out for sure in Malaysia, the place where he was crowned Moto2™ World Champion just one year ago.

It will be the fourth time that Augusto Fernandez rides his MotoGP™ bike in Sepang, a layout that he has always enjoyed and where he logically has more experience on. Thailand was disappointing for the Spaniard who crashed just two laps before the end of the race on Sunday, while he was on his way to a potential top 10, a result that would have been amongst his best of the 2024 campaign. Minds reset and ready to approach a new race week, as he hopes to finish the fly aways in a good way. In his rookie season, Fernandez finished in the points in 2023 with a P14. He has already finished on the podium in Moto2™ in P3 in 2021, and he was 4th in 2022, a result that led to his intermediate class coronation in the season finale in Valencia.

As the Grand Prix of Malaysia marks the end of the overseas tour, you don’t want to miss this one as the battle for the crown gets more and more intense! The action will start on Friday at 10:45 local time (GMT+8) with Free Practice 1, followed by Practice in the afternoon at 15:00, as both Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez will try to make their way to the top 10 for those precious direct Q2 tickets. The first highlights of the weekend will be on Saturday with qualifying kicking off at 10:50 LT, shortly after Free Practice 2. It will then be time for the penultimate Tissot Sprint of 2024, with lights going out at 15:00 local time for ten laps. Finally, the main show will be on Sunday with the MotoGP™ main race, as riders will line up on the grid for a start at 15:00 (GMT+8). Here we come, Malaysia!