Raul Fernandez, KTM offer and an ultimatum to Trackhouse: here's how the contract extension came about

The Spanish rider has tied himself to Trackhouse for another two years, but he also had the chance to sign with KTM: his manager Sanchez spoke about it.

There was a moment when it wasn’t clear what else Raul Fernandez had to do to earn a MotoGP contract for 2027. Despite good results and proving he is a rider worthy of the category, he didn’t have a guaranteed future. Then things came together and he renewed through 2028 with the SuperFile Trackhouse team, where he will be joined by Enea Bastianini.

In the last three long races the Madrid native has always been on the podium, winning the most recent one at Silverstone. In the overall standings he occupies sixth place, 56 points behind leader Jorge Martin: with ten Grands Prix remaining until the end of the 2026 MotoGP championship, he should still be considered in the running for the world title.

Fernandez has been underrated, and his manager Paco Sanchez discussed it in an interview with PecinoGP, the YouTube channel of Spanish journalist Manuel Pecino, to whom he also admitted there was a chance to return to a KTM: "That his results weren’t valued and that he didn’t get a factory bike surprises me. I think he deserved the renewal and I don’t understand why he didn’t receive the offer after the first or second race of the championship. At Assen I was contacted by KTM; they made us an offer to go to the Tech3 team and we had a meeting with the team owner."

Fernandez had seriously considered returning to the KTM Tech3 team, the same one with which he debuted in MotoGP in 2022 and which he left after just one year filled with major difficulties. After the farewell, he made it clear he hadn’t been treated in the best way and did not hold back criticism toward KTM. However, he was ready to get back on an Austrian bike if Trackhouse did not renew his contract. Sanchez confirmed that his priority had always been to sign with the American squad: "When we had the chance to go to KTM, we gave an ultimatum and Trackhouse’s reaction was immediate: they put a contract on the table. Raul’s intention was always to continue with them."

The Spanish rider’s manager admitted that a particular situation had occurred within the SuperFile Trackhouse team which certainly affected Fernandez’s renewal process: "The problem was having a power vacuum when Davide Brivio’s departure was announced. It wasn’t clear who would be in charge of renewing the riders. Justin Marks only came to two races before the last one at Silverstone; he doesn’t have much experience in MotoGP and had to restructure the team. This delayed the negotiations a bit."

Team principal Davide Brivio had decided to head to Honda in 2027, therefore another figure had to handle the renewal matter. Team owner Justin Marks hired Francesco Guidotti as the new team manager, who immediately got to work to lock down Fernandez. The negotiations were not long; in the end the parties wanted to continue together, and so it will be at least through 2028.

The Madrid-born rider feels great within the Aprilia family; he has built a strong bond with CEO Massimo Rivola and with technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini. His relationship with Brivio is also fantastic, even if it is set to end professionally at the conclusion of the 2026 MotoGP season. Staying in the Trackhouse garage and continuing with an Aprilia project was his priority and the most logical choice for his future.

After a bleak 2022 with the KTM Tech3 team, Rivola pushed to give him a chance in the then-satellite RNF team, and time has proven him right. Since around mid-2025, Fernandez has grown a lot and today he stands as a solid presence in MotoGP.

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