Raul Fernandez, the “grain of sand” driving Aprilia: why not promote him in 2027?

Aprilia also has to think about the revolutionary 2027 MotoGP World Championship, so why not bet on Raul Fernandez? An opinion.

The rider market is already going crazy, at least regarding (unconfirmed) rumors of major moves for 2027. But there are a few names that, at least in my personal opinion, are being completely forgotten. An example? Raul Fernandez. The Trackhouse Aprilia rider, who didn’t have an easy time when he first arrived in MotoGP, seems to have found his groove with the RS-GP, thanks to last year’s breakout with podiums and wins. And with his feedback, he also contributed to the development of the new bike. The question naturally arises: why shouldn’t he be considered for a promotion to the factory team?

It’s worth highlighting the comments that came during the Sepang test. "Last year I developed a chassis the way I liked it. When the other riders tried it, they really liked it and it was homologated for this year. Starting from there, they worked mainly on the aerodynamics". Those are Raul Fernandez’s words, as reported by Motosan, explaining how he gave his small contribution, his "grain of sand", as he called it. Let’s remember that the Noale brand has already admitted to giving much more weight to feedback coming from its satellite team regarding the development of the new bike. One example is precisely what Fernandez said: Aprilia listened, saw the progress based on his comments, and followed his direction, which is anything but a given. Not only that, there’s more in Raul Fernandez’s words: "Aprilia gave me enough freedom to decide what I like. It’s like what happens with Marco: everyone has their own style, but we chose a similar line."

Let’s go back to the market rumors: Jorge Martin tipped to move to Yamaha, Pecco Bagnaia could leave Ducati to embrace the Aprilia project. The question, as stated at the outset, naturally arises: sure, Bagnaia is a two-time MotoGP champion, but why shouldn’t the Noale brand capitalize on a rider who has also started contributing to the development of the bike? Test rider Lorenzo Savadori has been putting in overtime for a while, Marco Bezzecchi is the linchpin as a factory MotoGP rider... And Raul Fernandez is carving out his space in the project, as we explained earlier. It’s a personal opinion, but wouldn’t it be much more useful to back a rider who is emerging with this bike, rather than betting on an “outsider,” without knowing if it will work? With the major MotoGP 2027 shake-up, a rider who is fast on the Aprilia, without overturning its characteristics (as Bezzecchi does), would certainly be an advantage...