Double blow for Aprilia as Fernandez also ruled out: how is the Trackhouse rider?

Raul Fernandez out of the Australian Grand Prix after an early retirement in the Sprint. The situation facing the Trackhouse Aprilia rider.

It looked as though the Aprilias had made a strong start to the GP, but today we have seen both riders retire. After Jorge Martin was ruled out following his crash in the MotoGP Sprint (details here), Raul Fernandez has also had to stop early. In his case, the cause was the less-than-perfect condition of his right index finger, which he fractured at the last GP in Indonesia. He had another scare yesterday when he crashed in FP1, but the Spaniard ultimately continued his GP. However, he retired from today's Sprint race at Phillip Island, after which he underwent medical checks and his withdrawal was confirmed. "This isn't how I wanted to say goodbye to Phillip Island, but my finger has had enough," Fernandez himself added on social media. "I need to take a break and recover so I can come back at 100%." The team's statement follows.

Raul Fernandez has withdrawn from the Australian Grand Prix. As a result of his crash in Indonesia, where he fractured the index finger on his right hand—the primary finger used to operate the brake—SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider Raul Fernandez, number 25, was forced to retire from the 13-lap Sprint at Phillip Island, unable to continue riding his Aprilia RS-GP26. The demanding nature of the Australian circuit proved more physically taxing than the Mandalika circuit in Indonesia, and the pain was too severe for him to continue beyond lap nine. After the race, Fernandez went straight to the MotoGP Medical Director for an assessment, which revealed a stable fracture but inflammation in the surrounding soft tissue. He was therefore declared unfit to take part in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix and will travel to Malaysia on Thursday for a further medical assessment to determine whether he can race at Sepang. In the meantime, he will begin rehabilitation treatment in an effort to reduce the inflammation around the index finger fracture.