Augusto Fernandez’s struggles in Qatar were in noticeab🌼le contrast to his new teammate Pedro Acosta.

Aco🍌sta has stunned onlookers throughout preseason ahead of his rookie MotoGP season.

The teenager,🅷 entering the p💮remier class with Tech3 GASGAS as the Moto2 champion, has drawn comparisons to a young Marc Marquez.

Simon Crafar, the ex-rider and now a broadcaster, could no longer hide his admiration for Acosta: “It’s too lat💜e! The cat’s out of the bag!

“Wꦍe’re all excited about Pedro. I was trying to play it down…

“He has just amazed everyone at bo♌th tests, Sepang and here.

“The lack of mistakes, the brilliant feedback to his team, h𓂃ow he looks on the bike, the lap times…

“He is just doing everything. Quite amazing.

“He’s out there with experienced riders looking like he’s meant to be there, fighting with them on track🙈.”

B𝕴ut, on the other side of the Tech3 GASGAS box, there ha🌱s been difficulty.

“The🅷 contrast? Augusto is a good rider. He showed that 🤡he deserves to keep the job,” Crafar said.

“He starte🦋d the year on the back foot, a really rough tes𒆙t in Sepang.

“Then, [in Qatar], he had bad luck. His engine went so spent the second half of the [first] day with one bike. Then he wrote that bike off, at the end of the day, before the time attac🌸ks so we don’t know what he could do.

“Then his mechanics had a busy night. He was the first guy on track to ♏check his bike which had been repaired🦩.

“It still hasn’t come together for him.

“So, I just hope that it doesn’t continue like this, and he doesn’t have a really tough ye🎶ar.

“He’s a very good rider, a great kid, he’s hungry. He🌃 deserves bett൩er than he’s getting at the moment.”

Acosta’s entry into MotoGP ca𒈔used KTM to scramble la🎃st year to find him a place.

But it w🌜as notable that, during this perꦫiod, they extended the contract of Fernandez in a clear show of faith.

Fernandez was, at the time, KTM’s only out-of-contract rider foཧr 2024.

Instead, they opted to replace Pol Espargaro.

Fernandez finishe🐲d his rookie year in 17th last season, with a best result of P4 at Le Mans, but he now faces stiff competition from new teammate Acosta.