This Sunday, January 30, 2022, the riders of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team spoke as the start of the new season is fast approaching, including the holding of the shakedown at the start of the week followed by the first official tests on the weekend next in Sepang.
For Raúl Fernández, who will make his big debut in MotoGP this year, it will be an opportunity to acclimatize to his new machine, the RC16, which he nevertheless already had the opportunity to discover at the end of 2021 during testing. Jerez. The Spaniard will be keen to do well within his new team and alongside the man who was already his teammate last year in Moto2 (and above all his rival for the title), Remy Gardner.
As usual, we report here the words of Raúl Fernández without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Raúl, your arrival raises great expectations, especially after the very good season you had last year as well as the very good tests you conducted in Jerez. Do you feel able to fight for the title of Rookie of the Year?
« The last tests which took place in Jerez were indeed very good, because the bike was in the running. I think I can fight for the Rookie of the Year title, but the main thing is to understand everything in terms of tires, power etc., and to continue to improve. My main objective is therefore to learn, and why not later fight for the title of Rookie of the year. If I succeed, then I will be happy, but if this is not the case in any case I would have given my maximum so as not to have any regret. »
How are you preparing for this new season, in particular to succeed in taming a machine that will be more imposing?
« I actually had to change the way I trained a lot, because after the last MotoGP tests I was completely exhausted, and that's when I realized that I had to adjust my preparation as well as my exercises. I made sure to gain two or three kg of muscle. The fact is that we are not going to have much time between testing and the first round, and the idea is of course to stay 100% between now and the first GP in Qatar. »
“After the last MotoGP tests I realized that I needed to adjust my preparation”
What exactly have you changed about your training program?
« During the last two seasons, I mainly worked on cardio, but for this year my goal is really going to be to gain muscle mass. It's difficult to go into detail because it involves a wide variety of exercises. »
What is the most important thing you think you need to learn about the bike as the first tests loom?
« I'm not focused on any particular point, I'm working on braking, electronics, power, tires, because it's all completely new to me. It’s a real process to understand everything. For the moment we don't have any particular plans [concerning the Sepang tests], we will see it day by day. »
“No particular plan for the Sepang tests, we will see that day by day”
In the past, you have been forced to restrict yourself in terms of diet, particularly to have a physique that fits with the Moto2 machines. But those of MotoGP are much more imposing, so does that mean that you will be able to impose fewer restrictions on yourself?
« I think the worst category at this level remains Moto3, because it's really very demanding in terms of weight. But now I can eat more the way I want, and my coach even encouraged me to eat even more during training! »
At the end of last season, things were a little tense with Remy Gardner [his teammate at the time, who will also be this season at Tech3] and KTM due to the pressure of the championship. Will your relationships normalize this year?
« My relationship with Remy is incredible, and it was already the case last year. I can't say we're friends, but we can go to dinner together without any problem. The past is the past: now I am fully focused on this new project with KTM, and I am very happy to stay in the fold again this year. I really want to progress the bike, and improve. »
“What happened with Remy is in the past, I am fully focused on this new project with KTM”
