Raúl Fernández finished the first day of practice for the Tissot GP of Portugal behind his teammate, Miguel Oliveira, in 18th place overall.
The Spanish Trackhouse Racing rider will have to go through Q1 with a number of very strong riders fighting for access to Q2. In his debrief, Raul explained his feelings about today and what he expects from the rest of the weekend in Portimão.
– ‘Today was a very strange day, after FP1 we saw that the track had a strange grip. Today was the first time I didn’t feel comfortable with the bike, it’s only the first day, but we have to improve and we know what we have to do to be fast again. I didn’t feel like I could pull when I wanted to, I know we can be strong and I know my team and Aprilia will help me tomorrow. This track is very particular, it’s small with lots of changes of direction, but I think the problem isn’t grip but turning the bike. I hope the track is better tomorrow, it’s similar to the Indonesian circuit where we only have one clean track because the rest of the track is very dirty.
The Spanish rider also spoke about how he hopes to improve and be more competitive:
– ‘ On this track we have to find the right compromise, we have some areas where we are fast, but we need to find the right compromise. Today we still have a lot to work on the bike, which is good for tomorrow.