Raúl Fernández joined RNF last year, which in 2024 became Trackhouse Racing. After a challenging debut in MotoGP with Tech3 on a KTM, it was a fresh start that the rider approached with enthusiasm, but it quickly became very complicated and did not yield the expected results.
In an interview with PecinoGP, the Spanish rider recalled his last season: ‘It was difficult. For me, it was a bit like how I experienced it because there was a moment in the season where everything came together, nothing worked for me. It was difficult to manage so many emotions or difficult moments without enjoying it. The problem is enjoying it, and I think this is important. I said it, say it, and will always say it – I think the most important thing for me is to enjoy on the bike, and when I don’t enjoy it, I’ll have to go home because I don’t like it’.
Despite being initially excited as it happened with Tech3, Fernández explained that the situation in 2023 was not the same: ‘It was very different because I saw that I had all the weapons. I had all the weapons and there was a moment when it didn’t work because of me. So, I think that was what blocked me the most. Especially at the beginning of the year, I think there was a lot of pressure on myself because I came from a very difficult moment, but when the year changes, you resolve. What happened to me? I put a lot of pressure on myself, I was in MotoGP and ultimately the level in MotoGP has never been seen in terms of riders, factories, teams, it’s impressive. All of that came together, there were problems in the arm – we ended up not noticing, at the end of the year we saw that there was a problem because it was very difficult for us to brake the bike and this made us tire a lot with our arms’.
According to Miguel Oliveira’s current teammate, the turning point came around last summer: ‘Aprilia has taken an interesting path for this year. Until I was operated on, I was fine, and it was a bit in the summer when I sat down, I also thought about my whole life to see what I really wanted, if I was made to be here. And honestly, I can’t live without motorcycles. So, from the summer, I was able to change my philosophy a bit, start working, focus on ourselves, and above all, work on enjoying, forget a bit about the position we are in, and enjoy. And that’s when the change began’.
And Fernández admitted that the first part of the 2024 season was not easy from a mental perspective: ‘Not at all. Ultimately, I started very well, got on the bike and in Sepang [in testing] I was always close to the top ten and didn’t enter the top ten, which was ideal for me after coming here. But I think all that confidence, I reached the last day of testing in Portugal, fell badly, injured myself, and from there, I was no longer comfortable. In the Sprint race, I was 11th, very good, fighting with Brad [Binder], in the race I crashed due to my arm, and everything started to add up. And I think everything got a bit out of hand, and I lost my way a bit and didn’t manage it well’.