This season, all the Aprilias are at the front. And Raul Fernandez's RS-GP satellite, run by Trackhouse Racing, is no exception. Very fast in Thailand for the opening round, the driver who will win for the first time at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix He had two other less impressive races, but he's back in the game at Jerez. Fernandez is thrilled with his direct qualification for Q2, something he hadn't achieved in a very long time! Now that he's unlocked his full potential following this fantastic end to the 2025 season, you can feel he can be a threat at every Grand Prix.
The Spaniard was very happy with the progress made towards his arrival in Spain. “I’m very happy; I hadn’t made it directly to Q2 since Australia in 2025. We perform well in race paceBut I'm especially pleased because we tested a new approach with the timing system, and it seems to be working. It makes the weekend easier. Saturday will still be the crucial day, though. We are ready, we have worked a lot with the soft rear tire and we have already completed many laps in preparation for Saturday's sprintWe'll see what happens in Q2 tomorrow. he declared to our microphones.
FP1 – @ 25RaulFernandez
P6 | 1'37.510#SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/Z6iPU8UFYS— Trackhouse MotoGP (@TrackhouseMoto) April 24, 2026
Aprilia, like Ducati for that matter, is said to have worked on its electronics, and in particular on engine braking management. "We have found an electronic setting that could be useful to us in the future. It still needs to be confirmed; This is engine braking, and I'm very optimistic.But this way, we'll be able to approach race weekends in better shape. We've also adapted a time trial strategy, and it's worked. It's the little details that make the difference. In MotoGP, these days, it's the little details that count. » he added.
The recent MotoGP winner has revealed his target result for tomorrow, and he is aiming for a performance similar to today's. "It would be great to be in the top two here. But we don't know what will happen on Saturday." I got the impression that almost all the drivers had a similar pace. Well, Alex and Diggia are perhaps a little faster." he continued. Regarding the transfer market, however, he preferred to remain silent. "I have an important day tomorrow, so I can't think about what I'll be doing in 2027 or who will be at Trackhouse." I prefer not to know for now! » he concluded.
Do you think Raul Fernandez will be the surprise of this Spanish Grand Prix? Tell us in the comments!
Results of the Practice session at the 2026 Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport