Raul Fernandez has matured: the quiet transformation that explains his podiums

Great weekend for Fernandez and Trackhouse in Buriram: the Spanish rider keeps his feet on the ground but dreams of a great MotoGP season.

Aprilia was the best manufacturer of the first 2026 MotoGP Grand Prix in Thailand, no doubt about it. In the top 5 of Sunday’s race we saw four RS-GP26s, and there were three in Saturday’s sprint. The constant was Raul Fernandez’s presence on the podium, first second and then third at the finish line of the weekend’s two races. A fantastic start to the season for him and for the Trackhouse Racing team. It’s also worth noting that the Spaniard didn’t race in the best physical condition possible, as he felt pain in his left shoulder during warm-up and there was uncertainty about how he would hold up over the race. It went decidedly well, given the final result achieved in Buriram.

Fernandez is absolutely satisfied with what he managed to do on Sunday at Buriram, in a very complicated race due to the intense heat and the need to manage the tires: "I’m very happy," he told Motosan - the race was fantastic. I tried until the end to stay with Marco, but while managing, we couldn’t do it. I had a lot of problems in the last 6-7 laps, that’s why I think Pedro passed me, even though he didn’t have more pace than us. I’m feeling good with the bike and that’s something that’s starting to make me smile, because I think we can maintain a similar level throughout the year. There will certainly be tougher races and others that are easier."

The Madrid-born rider seems to have matured, and he had already shown signs of it during 2025: "We’re doing things right. If I look back a year, I think I could even get emotional about the big step forward that’s been made. The key was from Jerez onward, we started doing things properly. We started to sow, to water. There’s a phrase from a technician I’ll never forget: “you have to water bamboo every day and then one day it grows.” That was my last year: watering the bamboo until it grew."

The former KTM rider also acknowledged having made a big mistake in the recent past: "Letting myself get carried away too much during the pre-seasons of past years, wanting to arrive on the first day and be at the maximum right away. That’s what didn’t help me." Now the approach has completely changed and he has found in the Trackhouse team the right place to mature. Davide Brivio is a team manager who pays great attention to the human side. Also fundamental for him is Fabiano Sterlacchini, Aprilia’s technical director since 2025, with whom he has established a very positive relationship. The same goes for Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing, who believed in him when perhaps many others would not have.

Asked about his left shoulder, the Spanish rider explained the situation: "Since Portugal my shoulder hasn’t been right. In the warm-up I had a subluxation, again. When I was behind Johann we were testing the gearbox, and at the point where I released the brake, with the slipstream, the bike tucked the front; I saved it and when picking it back up it partially dislocated."

For Fernandez it’s about managing the shoulder problem, something that forces him even more to avoid mistakes, because any crashes could have very negative consequences: "Last year I didn’t have time, I couldn’t have surgery. For me it’s important to stay at this level, to try, to endure; I think I can hold on all year, it’s not a problem. You have to use your head. That’s why in pre-season and even now I’m treading carefully, I’ve tried not to make mistakes, I’m using my head a lot and when you can attack, you attack. If something happens, it will happen. For now, two podiums." In Thailand it went very well, but his goal is to be a constant protagonist in MotoGP Grands Prix. It won’t be easy, but he seems to be on the right path.