Moto2 Valencia FP1: Augusto Fernandez tops FP1 as title contenders struggle

Augusto Fernandez was the fastest Moto2 rider in FP1 with Raul and Remy down the order.

Augusto Fernandez went fastest in the Moto2 FP1 session as the title contenders struggled in the wet conditions, Fernandez was able to lead by only 0.020 seconds over Joe Roberts who historically has always been very fast when the rain begins to fall, Roberts praying for a strong result here in Valencia after an extremely tough season with Italtrans.

Hector Garzo went third fastest, the outgoing Pons rider took a podium here last year and knows the circuit incredibly well meaning third place here isn’t out of expectation for the Spanish rider however fourth place for Barry Baltus is, the 17-year-old on the NTS suffered a crash in the session but was able to place fourth with a really strong lap time, the rain of course being the ultimate leveller for the Moto2 championship.

Aron Canet placed fifth with Celestino Vietti in sixth, Vietti has come on incredibly strong in recent races with some incredible form, there’s no doubt he will be fighting at the front in 2022 with his newly announced teammate Niccolo Antonelli who will graduate from Moto3 into the VR46 Moto2 team taking place of Marco Bezzecchi who will be promoted to MotoGP, Bezzecchi coming home only 0.006 behind his teammate in seventh.

Fermin Aldeguer finished up in eighth, the CEV Moto2 champion knows the track very well and he is impressing as the youngest rider on the grid at just 16-years-old with Nicolò Bulega and Lorenzo Baldassarri rounding out the top 10 ahead of El Pescao Hafizh Syahrin who makes his final Moto2 start ahead of a rumoured WorldSBK switch for 2022.

Title contenders Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner really did not like the rain with Raul Fernandez in P12 and Remy Gardner in P20.

Full results –