MotoGP Silverstone J1, Raul Fernandez (Aprilia/12): “At first, I wanted to get back into my RS-GP23! »

First Grand Prix of a new era for Raul Fernandez at Silverstone. Until now, he was riding the Aprilia RS-GP23, and was the only one, in fact, not to benefit from the latest improvement from the Noale firm. Now he too is equipped with an RS-GP24, and has free access to data from Oliveira, Espargaro and Vinales. For his first laps with his new mount, he was not ridiculous, even if he will have to go through a Q1 which promises to be very tough in order to defend his chances in qualifying.

Recently signed for 2025 with Trackhouse Racing, Raul Fernandez was rather satisfied with his Friday. « The first session always requires a lot of work. It wasn't easy. I had only driven the GP24 once, at Jerez, and I had to adapt quickly. Also, I had to test new parts for Aprilia, including a new Ride Height Device. At first, I almost wanted to take my GP23 back! » he said, laughing. But in the end, everything worked out. “The pace was high from the start, but I felt good. » explained the Spaniard to the microphones of speedweek.

 

 

A lot of things are changing, and you don't have to wait to get used to it. « The changes compared to the old one are very serious. When I push to the limit at the entrance to the corners, the feeling is completely different. It's probably due to the aero, it will take me time to understand it." continued the 2 Moto2021 world vice-champion.

 

 

What changes, above all, is that he is no longer the only one with different equipment. « We all speak the same language now. I have access to other pilots' data; it's a new experience. Aleix, for example, has a very different setup. Also, there are no more excuses. But overall, I'm very happy to see that everything went well » he concluded.

Riding a new machine, are we justified in expecting much better performance from Raul Fernandez? Tell us in the comments!

Practice result at the 2024 British Grand Prix:

 

 

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport