Editor’s note: In advance of Bronny James’ Los Angeles Lakers debut on Tuesday night, which will make him and LeBron James the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together in league history, we’re bringing back this list of notable father-son duos in sports history — including one pair that plans to be in attendance for LeBron and Bronny’s moment.

Like father, like son. 

Many remarkable athletes have had sons follow in their footsteps in their respective sport, including new Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James and his superstar father — and now teammate — LeBron James. 

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the most iconic father-son duos in sports history.

LeBron James and Bronny James

LeBron James has made an incredible mark in the NBA, becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer this year. A 20-time All-Star, four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP, LeBron James has played 21 seasons and six with the Lakers. 

His oldest son, Bronny, was selected by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick in this year’s draft, making the pair the first father-son duo to play simultaneously and on the same team in the NBA.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.

Ken Griffey Sr. played 19 seasons in the major leagues, most notably with the Cincinnati Reds. He won 10 Gold Glove Awards, seven Silver Slugger Awards and two World Series to go along with 13 MLB All-Star Game selections. In 2004, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, finishing his career with a .296 batting average, 152 home runs and 859 RBIs. 

Griffey Jr., played 13 seasons with the Seattle Mariners and nine with the Reds. Griffey Jr. and Griffey Sr. played two seasons together with the Mariners, becoming the and still only father-son duo to play on the same MLB team and, in 1990, hit back-to-back home runs against the then-California Angels. Griffey Jr. was the American League MVP in 1997 and led the AL in home runs four times during his career. He’s seventh all-time with 630 career home runs. A 10-time Gold Glove Award winner and 13-time All-Star, Griffey Jr. was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. 

(Update: Until the James duo, Griffey Jr. and Sr. were the only father-son pair in North American professional team sports to play on the same team, and both Griffeys reportedly plan to be in attendance Tuesday to celebrate the James’ moment.)

Archie Manning and Peyton Manning, Eli Manning

Archie Manning is at the forefront of the Manning legacy, playing quarterback in the NFL for 13 seasons, mostly with the New Orleans Saints. A two-time Pro Bowler, Archie Manning was inducted into the Saints’ Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame.

Archie’s eldest son, Peyton, played quarterback at Tennessee, where he was the SEC Player of the Year in 1997 and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy Award that same year. He went on to be the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. A 14-time Pro Bowler, Peyton Manning was named NFL MVP five times and a first-team All-Pro seven times. He’s the only starting QB to win a Super Bowl for two franchises and holds the NFL records for career passing yards (71,940) and passing touchdowns (539). 

Eli Manning played quarterback at Ole Miss, like his father, and won SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003. He went on to be the first pick in 2004 by the New York Giants, winning two Super Bowls and earning Super Bowl MVP honors both times. A four-time Pro Bowler, Eli Manning ranks sixth in passing yards in league history and his 210 consecutive starts from 2004 to 2017 is the second-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history.

Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds

Bobby Bonds, a three-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, became just the second player to hit 300 career home runs and steal 300 bases. 

Barry Bonds played 22 seasons, mostly with the San Francisco Giants, and was a seven-time National League MVP. Bonds holds the records for most career home runs (762) and most home runs in a season (73). A 14-time All-Star, 12-time Silver Slugger Award winner and eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, Barry Bonds tied his father for the most seasons with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases (five). 

Dell Curry and Stephen Curry

Dell Curry, the 15th overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, played 16 seasons, averaging 11.7 points and shooting 40.2% from deep in 1,083 career games. He most notably played for the Charlotte Hornets, finishing second on the team’s all-time points leader list. 

Dell’s eldest son, Stephen, was selected seventh overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. He went on to become a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP and nine-time All Star and is widely considered the greatest shooter in NBA history, shooting over 43% from deep and 90% from the line in his career. 

Mychal Thompson and Klay Thompson

Selected with the first overall pick in 1978, Mychal Thompson averaged 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds in seven seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers (1980-86) before playing half a season with the San Antonio Spurs (1986-87) and finishing his career with the Lakers. He won two championships with Magic Johnson and the Lakers. 

Klay Thompson was drafted 11th overall in 2011 by the Warriors and has developed into one of the game’s best shooters. A four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star, Klay Thompson averaged 19.6 points per game on 41.3% shooting from deep in 11 seasons with Golden State. He announced his departure from the Warriors in free agency earlier this month, opting to sign a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

Bobby Hull and Brett Hull

Bobby Hull led the NHL in goals seven times and was the second-leading goalscorer in league history (610) when he retired. Hull won back-to-back All-Star Game MVP awards in 1970 and 1971 after winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1961. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

Bobby Hull’s son, Brett, scored 741 goals in his career, the fourth-highest total in league history. The right wing won Stanley Cups in 1999 with the Dallas Stars and in 2002 with the Detroit Red Wings. A nine-time All-Star, Brett Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, joining his father to become the Hall’s first father-son duo.

Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt is one of NASCAR‘s most iconic drivers. He participated in 676 Winston Cups, winning 76 of them. Earnhardt’s career came to an end after he was involved in a fatal crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. He was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2010.

Earnhardt Jr. won 26 Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 twice (2004, 2014). He had 260 top-10 finishes in Cup races in his career and was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 2000.

Howie Long and Chris Long

An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Howie Long played his entire 13-year career with the Raiders‘ organization. He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1985 after helping the franchise win the Super Bowl the year prior. Howie Long finished his career with 84.0 sacks and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. 

Chris Long was the second overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, and he became one of the few players in NFL history to win back-to-back Super Bowls for different teams — with the New England Patriots in 2017 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. The defensive end recorded 70.0 sacks in his 11-year career.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.

CHELSEA have reportedly frozen out a highly-rated academy teenager until he signs a new contract.

It is claimed the Blues told defender Josh Acheampong he will not play for the first team or the development squad while he stalls over the fresh terms.

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Acheampong, 18, is currently tied down at Stamford Bridge until 2026.

According to The Athletic, Chelsea are said to have opened talks over an extension to secure his long-term future at the club.

But with negotiations stalling, he has been exiled from competitive action.

Acheampong established himself as the third-choice right-back during pre-season under Enzo Maresca – after making his senior debut for Mauricio Pochettino in May, three days before his 18th birthday.

Captain Reece James and Malo Gusto are the recognised top two.

Although the club showed interest in Pedro Lima from Sport Recife – who eventually joined Wolves – Acheampong looked set to be around the first-team set-up with Maresca in charge.

However, his only appearance of the season came as a second-half substitute against Barrow in the Carabao Cup on September 24.

Notably, though, he was not included in the matchday squads for the games against Bournemouth and West Ham last month when both James and Gusto were unavailable.

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Maresca, instead, opted for centre-backs Axel Disasi and Wesley Fofana to fill in.

Even more alarmingly, Acheampong has not played for the Under-21s since September 15.

That is despite starting four of their first five games of the season.

Acheampong was left out of the squad for the Premier League Cup clash at Bournemouth on Monday.

But he is not injured – and even featured twice for England U20s during the October international break.

The report claims the situation will not be resolved unless he puts pen to paper on a new deal.

But Chelsea are hopeful of tying their highly-rated youngster down, especially amid interest from other clubs.

The likes of fellow right-backs Tariq Lamptey and Tino Livramento ended up leaving Chelsea to advance their careers.

Academy graduates Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher, meanwhile, were allowed to depart after entering the final year of their contracts.

Chelsea declined to comment when approached by SunSport.

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Chelsea ratings vs Liverpool

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By Ken Lawrence

LIVERPOOL held on to beat Chelsea 2-1 in a thriller as they moved to the top of the Premier League table.

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring against his former club from the penalty spot after Levi Colwill tripped Curtis Jones in the box.

Chelsea went into the break trailing and it was nearly worse, only for VAR to overturn a second Liverpool penalty after Robert Sanchez’s lunge on Jones.

The Blues came out from the break flying and Nicolas Jackson equalised.

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But they failed to hold on with star of the show Jones netting the winner just minutes later.

Here is how SunSport rated the Chelsea players at Anfield.

ROBERT SANCHEZ – 5

Survived a shocker of a challenge on Jones to not give away a pen and never convincing.

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REECE JAMES – 6

Got through 53 minutes in first start since last December and will surely shake off the rust.

TOSIN ADARABIOYO – 5  

Booked early on for clattering into Diogo Jota and no surprise was hooked for the second half.

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LEVI COLWILL –  5

Got away with one challenge against a diving Salah but a no- challenge penalty after hacked on Jones.

MALO GUSTO – 7  

Intelligent display and constant threat down the left flank in the first half especially.

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MOISES CAICEDO – 5

At £105m and in Chelsea’s biggest test of the season was found badly wanting.

ROMEO LAVIA – 5

Got the nod over Enzo Fernandez from the start but failed to show any urgency.

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NONI MADUEKE – 6

Always mobile and was productive playing as a right-sided attacker – giving Robertson a tough afternoon.

COLE PALMER – 5  

Deployed in central midfield but struggled to show his star quality and blazed over a good chance just before the break.

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JADON SANCHO  – 4

Lacked any real spark and unsurprisingly hooked off at the start of the second half.

NICOLAS JACKSON – 7

Picked up a typically mouthy booking but the boy definitely has something – as his fine equaliser proved.

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SUBS:

PEDRO NETO (for Sancho 46) – 6

Looked a whole lot livelier than the wide man he took over from.

BENOIT BADIASHILE (for Adarabioyo 53) – 6

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Looked a lot steadier than the centre-back he replaced.

RENATO VEIGA (for James 53) – 5

Got stuck in and was booked.

ENZO FERNANDEZ (for Romeo Lavia) – 6

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Worked diligently to use his passing to make an impact late on.

CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU (for Noni Madueke 76) – 5

Found it difficult to make his presence felt as the Reds dug in to win.

We’re back, baby!

That’s right, Season 8 of Contender Series is in the books, with 42 new signees joining the UFC roster in what has become the promotion’s single biggest recruitment tool. Now, 42 is fewer than last seasons’ 47 signees, but it’s still a massive influx of talent, and with all these new bright-eyed and bushy-tailed prospects joining the world’s biggest MMA promotion, it’s once again time to separate the wheat from the chaff, the future contenders from the card fillers.

Last season, I separated Contender Series signees into nine different buckets based on their potential, with 10 of the 47 signees being identified as top-tier prospects. And frankly, I did pretty damn well. The collective records of those 10 top-tier prospects is 16-2 in the promotion, with one of those losses being a controversial split decision.

But this year we’re going to do things a little bit differently: instead of nine buckets of nebulous quality, we’re going to simplify things and treat this like an draft board. Prospects are rated by what round of a fictional MMA draft I’d select them in. The rough rubric is as follows:

• Blue Chips: Elite prospects, with the potential to become top-5 fighters in their weight classes, challenge for a title, or even become champion.
• Round 1: Great prospects. Good shot at becoming ranked one day and may even fight for a title.
• Round 2: Good prospects. They’re missing something so they probably won’t challenge for a title, but they have a reasonable shot at earning a ranking.
• Round 3-4: Solid prospects. They lack major upside but can be Day 1 contributors and become a staple of their division for years to come. Maybe they even find their way to a ranking.
• Day 3: Acceptable prospects. Fighters who fill out cards and may stick around for a bit but don’t make much of an impact. Everyone once in a while someone from here might exceed expectations but it’s pretty rare.
• Undrafted Free Agent (UDFA): They did not get a contract but showed flashes of something that suggests they may get signed in the future.

So without further ado, let’s break down the 2024 Contender Series prospect class!

Undrafted Free Agents

An Tuan Ho, Michael Aswell, Jack Duffy, Nick Piccininni, Gauge Young, Igor Cavalcanti, Otar Tanzilov, Aaron Tau, Rose Conciecao, Sean Gauci, Julieta Martinez, Mohamed Ado

Not everyone that goes on Contender Series ends up getting signed, especially as Dana White’s criteria can be a bit inconsistent at times. Plenty of fighters deliver good performances but get snubbed, while other fighters were simply put in there against elite prospects and fell short.

This season there were, frankly, a lot of fighters who flashed enough that I am confident they will at least get another shot on Contender Series, if they don’t get signed to the UFC in a short-notice replacement type of situation. So instead of list all of those fighters (it’s a pretty long list) these 12 fighters represent the best of the bunch.

The most notable names here are both from Week 10: Nick Piccininni and Julieta Martinez. Piccininni fought twice this season, winning his first outing by split decision but not impressing Dana White enough. He then lost in the final episode, but I fully expect Piccininni to fight in the UFC soon. He’s a two-time NCAA All-American at Oklahoma State and has the support of Daniel Cormier. He won’t set the world on fire, but he can be Cody Stamann 2.0.

As for Martinez, she is only 20 years old and dazzled in her Contender Series performance, but White declined to sign her because she is “too young” and “too small.” Instead, White wants her to continue developing outside of the UFC, and honestly, it’s not a terrible idea. Martinez would be a first rounder if she received a contract, but perhaps if she goes back for another year of development, we’re talking about a top-10 pick.

DAY 3

Bruno Lopes, Contavious Romious, Rizvan Kuniev, Andreas Gustafsson, Bogdan Grad, Andrey Pulyaev, Djorden Santos, Seok Hyun Ko, Ahmad Hassanzada, Nick Klein

There’s not a lot to say about this crop of fighters. Each of them won on the show, and did enough to catch White’s attention, but they did not jump off the page as prospects to get excited about. But hey, plenty of uninspiring fighters have made a career in the UFC, winning more than they lose and hanging around.

If you’re looking for possible risers from this group, Rizvan Kuniev actually holds a win over Renan Ferreira in PFL that was overturned to a no-contest after he popped for all the PEDs. The Dagestani is a reasonable fighter, and given how bad heavyweight is, I could see a Shamil Gaziev-like run where he’s on the border of a ranking and in a main event, but don’t envision a lot of long-term success.

If I was putting money down, I’d bet on Bogdan Grad to be the guy who exceeds expectations from this group. Grad’s only career loss is to Tom Nolan on Contender Series last year (a prospect I was very high on) and while he isn’t great at anything, he’s an aggressive scrapper in the vein of Nate Landwehr, so he might carve out a fun career.

Round 3-4

Jose Miguel Delgado, Marco Tulio, Kevin Christian, Daniel Frunza, Torrez Finney, Alberto Montes, Artem Vakhitov, Yadier DelValle, Luis Gurule

This group right here, these are the workhorses. Most of them are a little too old to be a real high-upside prospect, but most of them are ready to jump in and contribute right away, and perhaps a few will event surprise us. Either way, I expect most of this group will hang around the UFC for some time, and there are a few notable standouts from this group.

The first is Torrez Finney who became the first man to win three times on Contender Series after two wins this season. Finney is young and had a few very good traits, but it’s hard to like the long-term ceiling for a 5-foot-8 middleweight, and the man is built like William Knight, so I don’t think he’s making 170.

Next is Alberto Montes who is my favorite fighter from this group. Montes is extremely fun, a bit chaotic (the man attempted a Peruvian necktie), and sort of fights like Charles Oliveira, without the restraint. The issue is that Montes is 30 years old which doesn’t leave him a lot of time in a premium weight class like featherweight, but I could see a Carlos Prates run out of him.

And finally there’s the matter of Artem Vakhitov. Vakhitov is the former GLORY Kickboxing champion who notably holds a win over Alex Pereira and even had Pereira lobby for him to get signed, but I have serious doubts about his ability to transition to MMA the way Pereira did. They just don’t have the same sort of game and Vakhitov has not shown much aptitude for the various parts of MMA thus far.

In all honesty, Vakhitov should probably be in the Day 3 group, but given his story, the UFC may be very selective about his matchmaking so I settled here.

Round 2

Malcolm Wellmaker, Yuneisy Duben, Quillan Salkilld, Nicolle Caliari, Tallison Teixeira, Danylo Voievodkin, Alexia Thainara, Diyar Nurgozhay, Islam Dulatov, Kody Steele, Jonathan Micallef

Now we’re finally into the real prospects here. I firmly believe the people in this group are going to be UFC staples for years to come, and for most of them, there’s just one big issue holding them back from being top prospects. For instance, Wellmaker and Duben are a bit too old to be great prospects, and Teixeira and Voievodkin are great bets to be long-term heavyweights, but lack an A+ trait that is required to be elite in that weight class. Still, this is a collection of talent that could have a number of fighters overachieve from.

As far as best bets to overachieve from this group and become fixtures of the top of their divisions two names stand out: Alexia Thainara and Kody Steele.

Thainara is a plus-athlete with good wrestling and the right mentality, she’s just raw. But at only 26 years old, she just beat the undefeated LFA champion and there’s plenty of time for her to rise up in the strawweight division if she can simply add tools to her game. Working with the Ribas family is a good start, and she’s got a real shot at becoming something.

Steele, on the other hand, is already close to a finished product. The 29-year-old Syndicate MMA product had a ton of hype heading into this season as a wily grappler who can also throw hands. Well, he showed all of that and plus-athleticism which means he’s almost guaranteed for a long UFC career. My only concern is that 29 is a late start for lightweight , where it can take years for fighters to make headway in the stacked weight class. Still, the floor is very high and there’s legitimate ceiling as well. Kody might be the “Steele” of the second round…

Round 1

Now we’re really into the top of the talent pool. The nine prospects below are my best bets to have long lasting, meaningful UFC careers, and given that, instead of the broad grouping, I opted to give each of them a one-sentence breakdown.

Navajo Stirling — City Kickboxing standout who can immediately compete at 205 pounds | shades of Rory MacDonald

Jacobe Smith — 3X All-American wrestler, great athlete who needs time | hints of Jon Jones

Elijah Smith — Explosive grappling but needs a killer instinct | gentler A.J. McKee

Josias Musasa — Fast, powerful, and aggressive but a bit one-note | bantamweight Derrick Lewis

Ateba Gautier — Big fella carved out of wood, extremely raw | next gen Melvin Manhoef

Mansour Abdul-Malik — All the physical gifts in the world | shades of Joaquin Buckley

Cody Haddon — Tight, polished boxer and BJJ black belt | a hint of Ilia Topuria

David Martinez — Fun, dynamic, and well-rounded, but lacks a superpower | a touch of Jonathan Martinez

Mario Pinto — Big man who THUDS without throwing hard | shades of Alex Pereira

Coincidentally, the order this group is listed in is roughly the order I’d draft them in, with Navajo Stiling being the one I’m highest one while Mario Pinto is the fighter most likely to be more of a Round 2 talent. But still, look at the way the big man can floor someone without trying.

Blue Chips

On every draft board, there are Round 1 prospects and then there are Blue Chip guys. These guys are as close to guaranteed successes as possible. Not just good contributors, these guys are STARS. People you can build a franchise around. And this year there are three of them.

Kevin Vallejos

I adore Kevin Vallejos. The 22-year-old Argentinian is an exceptional talent who narrowly missed out on earning a UFC contract last season of Contender Series, because he lost to Jean Silva. Silva was one of my favorite prospects that season and has looked sensational in the UFC this year, already knocking on the door of a ranking. And this kid gave him all he could hand despite being barely of drinking age.

Vallejos has slick, devastating striking with nasty combinations and great body work. Coincidentally, my favorite comparison for him is Jean Silva, and if he continues to improve as he ages, the sky is the limit for this kid.

Austin Bashi

Austin Bashi is an exceptional prospect. Just 23 years old, and already sporting an undefeated 13-0 record, Bashi hasn’t just been beating cans. He has wins over legitimate opposition and has been largely dominant in his career thus far.

The Michigan native is a fantastic athlete and a former IBJJF No-Gi world champion at the brown belt level. His striking game is still in development, but he’s got solid kicks already and he’s willing to mix things up. The best comparison I have for him is either Henry Cejudo or Aaron Pico, which should tell you a lot about how high this kid can climb.

Lone’er Kavanagh

Lone’er Kavanagh is one of the better prospects to ever come through Contender Series. Only 25 years old, Kavanagh is immediately ready to jump into the deep end of the flyweight division. He is a very good athlete with remarkable polish given his age. He’s poised under fire, has a slick, diversified striking game, and nasty power, especially for a flyweight.

As far as a comparison, the best one I have is a flyweight Rafael Fiziev, and that’s essentially talking about who Kavanagh is today. Give him a few more years of development and who knows where this young man might end up. Personally, I’m excited to find out.

Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon has signed a new long-term deal with the Premier League club.

The 23-year-old has scored 15 goals and created 11 assists in 74 appearances since joining the Magpies from Everton in January 2023 in a £45m deal.

Following his England debut in March this year, Gordon was a member of the Three Lions squad that reached the Euro 2024 final.

He had been linked with a return to his hometown with Liverpool over the summer but the move never materialised.

“I just think the club’s in a great place,” said Gordon.

“Since the takeover it’s just been up and up. Me and the gaffer are a perfect match in terms of style of play. I love it here.

“The team is very suited to me – and I’m here to win a trophy. The short story is we need to win a trophy.

“Winning a trophy here would be unbelievable because the fans have waited so long. To be part of that team who finally does it is a massive goal of mine.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says Gordon has grown as a “player and a person” since moving to St James’ Park.

“He is dedicated to improving himself and the team, and when you add that to the quality of his performances and his incredibly high work-rate, it’s clear to see why he has such a special connection with our supporters,” said Howe.

“There’s even more to come from Anthony and I’m excited about what’s ahead for him and us.”

The commission read reports from referee Robert Jones and fourth official Anthony Taylor, who said Nuno and Gibbs-White swore at them following the midfielder’s red card.

Nuno was also said to have “gesticulated aggressively” at Jones.

However, the statements added that Nuno apologised to the officials after the game. Both men wrote letters of apology to the commission and gave oral submissions.

The commission believed Gibbs-White’s remorse and assertion that it would not happen again to be “genuine”, offering enough mitigation for the standard two-game ban for being sent off for foul and abusive language to be reduced to one.

The commission praised Nuno for his honesty, even if it did not always help his case, with the former Wolves boss “stopping short of saying it would not happen again”.

It said a one-match ban would have been appropriate had it not been for two previous incidents of misconduct, including a suspended one-match ban for comments following Forest’s 2-0 defeat by Everton in April.

Therefore a two-match ban, plus activating the one-match suspended ban, was issued.

Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez competed in the Australian Grand Prix without an aerodynamic package on his Aprilia MotoGP bike and felt like he was “flying”.

Due to the disruptive influence of the powerful winds at the seaside track, the Phillip Island circuit is the only one on the MotoGP calendar at which riders are allowed to run without aero.

Fernandez and Aprilia’s satellite Trackhouse team took advantage of this point in the regulations to remove the aero elements from the bike and take off all the wings from the fairing for the races in Australia.

While Fernandez’s grand prix was spoilt by a poor start from an encouraging sixth place on the grid, he was thrilled by the sensation and performance of riding ‘wingless’ around the flowing Phillip Island track.

It was something the Spanish rider had never tried since his arrival in the premier class three years ago.

“We tried it yesterday [Saturday] and it went very well,” he explained after the grand prix on Sunday. “This is the only track in the world championship where you are allowed to remove the wings, because of the intense wind.”

Following the poor start on Sunday, Fernandez was swallowed up by the pack and dropped to 13th position after the first lap.

He gradually worked his way up to ninth, which he lost to Fabio Quartararo in the final part of the race before crossing the line tenth.

But despite the disappointing result, he had only good things to say about his speed during the race.

“Running without the wings was really good, I was really flying. The feeling was incredible,” he described.

“I had never ridden without wings, it was very nice. Aprilia [trusted me] and I offered myself as a guinea pig to make a good bike. I had a great time, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt a bike like this.

“I think I had the pace to finish fourth. I was catching the group ahead of me at the end, so I was happy with our pace and I think we did a good job.

“We held the gap to Fabio Di Giannantonio’s group. We had the same pace and at the end we were even faster.

“We talked about [the idea] with the team on Saturday and decided to do it. And the truth is that it has been very good for us to collect data for next year.

“The [experiment] was a bit crazy, but we got some good conclusions. The real pity, the most annoying thing, is to lose so many positions at the start.

“Basically we have to understand what we have to do to start well, because this is the key in MotoGP. We have a lot of wheelie and when that happens you cannot use the power. I have to close the throttle.”

Fernandez also suffered a poor start in the sprint race, dropping to 11th at the end of lap one. He recovered to finish seventh, which became sixth when di Giannantonio was penalised for a tyre pressure infringement on his VR46 Ducati.