Raul Fernandez and the “tears” of Phillip Island: “I believe in signs...”

Raul Fernandez forced to retire prematurely from the Australian GP due to problems with the fingers on his right hand, injured in Indonesia. And at Phillip Island, he says...

It certainly wasn't the ending Phillip Island and the MotoGP World Championship had hoped for. They would have wanted to part ways in a very different fashion than with a Sunday of cancelled races due to bad weather. Raul Fernandez, sidelined from Saturday onwards by problems with fingers he had already injured at the previous GP in Indonesia (a situation made even worse by a nasty crash on Friday in Australia), had already said the Australian circuit was one of his favourites. Even more so after the historic victory in the 2025 edition, Aprilia's 300th win. And in yesterday's downpour, he sees a sign of sorts...

As mentioned, the situation became even more complicated on Friday. "A really bad crash. I hit the wall and took a heavy blow to the head. But that wasn't the problem: the problem was that I injured again the two fingers I had already fractured." He arrived at Phillip Island less than fully fit, and then came the blow that ruined everything. On Saturday, Raul Fernandez realised the problem was getting worse. "I started feeling unwell," he said, as reported by Motosan. "It was no longer just a sporting matter, but a safety issue, so I decided to stop and get checked again. We took another X-ray and saw that the fracture hadn't improved; in fact, we think it may have got a little worse." So he decided to stop, put his health first and withdraw from the Australian GP, focusing solely on recovery. The Malaysian round is already next week, but will Raul Fernandez be there? "It'll be difficult, but for now the plan is to travel to Sepang on Thursday," said the Trackhouse Aprilia rider. The condition of his fingers will be assessed there. "If the bone callus starts to form and grow, I'll give it a try; otherwise, I'll go home," he admitted.

The move to Adelaide has sparked doubts and controversy among the riders, especially Casey Stoner, as well as protests in the area over the measures to be adopted and the work to be carried out (here's the latest chapter in the saga so far). Phillip Island has long been part of Grand Prix motorcycle racing history and is a favourite of many riders, including Raul Fernandez. "It deserves to host a race," he said, adding a curious thought. "I really believe in signs. It seems to be crying, begging us not to leave. I think it's a sign that we'll return to this beautiful track in the future." He didn't hide the circuit's challenges, though. "I think it's the worst possible circuit in the rain," he said plainly. "Above all, even more than the rain itself, it's difficult to manage the temperature of these tyres. Especially on a track this asymmetrical, with so many left-hand corners, where the front tyre's temperature in particular rises a lot. For me, the right-hand corners are the most difficult, and in these conditions you lose the front without knowing why; there's no warning." But that's all in the past now, and, as mentioned, there was no Sunday GP to officially bid farewell to a historic track loved by so many. We'll see what the future holds.

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