Augusto Fernandez ‘never’ comfortable on carbon fibre chassis

With just three rounds to go in his second and - for now - final MotoGP season, Augusto Fernandez is yet to get close to the results of his rookie campaign.

Most importantly for the Spaniard, he’s never felt comfortable.

The GASGAS Tech3 rider took fourth place at Le Mans among three top-ten finishes and 71 points last year.

So far this year, Fernandez has just 21 points, a best of eleventh and was out of a 2025 ride by mid-June, when Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales.

Fernandez, who has been linked with a possible Yamaha test riding deal, says his only goal is to try and finish the season with ‘good feelings’ on the bike.

“Last year was good here. Again, I don't know what to expect from this year, like in every track,” Fernandez said on Thursday in Buriram.

“Last year I was in the top 10 on Friday, directly into Q2, and then the race wasn't perfect because I had some issues. But I felt not so bad here.

“So let's see.  We are working hard to try and finish the season with good feelings. I don't want to finish the season as bad as it's been all this season.”

Despite the end of the world championship being just weeks away, Fernandez said they are still without a base set-up.

“So we're still changing and playing," he said. "For this weekend, we have an idea. I've been thinking a lot, to try to see how to get the feeling and also checking the other KTMs, and my bike last year.

“I don't know, just trying everything! I don't give up [hope of finding] the feeling, riding good, being as fast as I know. We have three tracks that I like and let's see.”

The main change for the 2024 RC16 was the switch from a steel trellis frame to a carbon fibre chassis, debuted by the factory team at the end of last year.

Fernandez’s rookie team-mate Pedro Acosta has taken the bike to four grand prix podiums this year, plus a further rostrum for Brad Binder.

Asked if he has ever felt as comfortable on the carbon fibre as he had been last season, Fernandez replied: “Never. Never got the feeling.”

The former Moto2 world champion added that his difficulties seem to stem from the flexibility of the chassis at the rear.

“It's not a lack of grip, but it is at the same time - the feeling that I have, and in terms of rear contact. It’s not stability, but it’s like a flexible feeling. It’s a strange feeling.

“So yeah, it's been a very difficult one. But there are three more riders that have been able to go very fast this year. One [rider] more than the others. But at the end, [all] better than me.

“So as I said, I don't give up. Three more races to go and let's keep pushing.”

While Binder and Acosta are battling over fifth in the world championship, Binder’s team-mate Jack Miller is 14th in the standings, with a best finish of fifth.