Raul Fernandez was certainly not expected at such a celebration at Losail, especially after fracturing his pelvis in the first laps of the Sepang tests. Logically still diminished, and the only one of the Aprilia clan with a bike from last year, we expected nothing from him until this second day in Qatar where he anchored himself at the top of the table. He finished this off-season which started very poorly in the top 5, just 0,389 seconds from the summit occupied by Pecco Bagnaia, author of a stratospheric time, and as best Aprilia rider behind captain Aleix Espargaró third… All with a motorcycle of the year past, which will inevitably make his teammate Miguel Oliveira and Maverick Viñales, struggling with opus 2024, think…
Although he did not seek to achieve the fastest lap, Raul fernandez still demonstrated a solid and competitive pace at Losail while working on the soft tires, which was new for him on the bike: “ we didn't focus on the fastest lap, we just tried the soft tires » says the TrackHouse driver. “ The key to this test was not to create dangerous situations, so when I used the soft tires, it wasn't to try to attack, but to understand it, because I had never used this type of compound on this bike. It was important to us. Anyway, I didn't want to focus on just one quick lap ».
Raul Fernandez: “ it was a positive day because my pelvis felt much better »
And yet, he was fast... He is therefore logically satisfied with the work accomplished and is concentrating on improving his physical condition in preparation for the first Grand Prix: “ it was great for us, especially since I still don't feel 100%, which I hope to be able to improve in view of the Qatar Grand Prix. It was a positive day because my pelvis felt much better ».
After his serious fall at Sepang, Fernandez returned to the saddle and immediately showed promising progress, attributing part of his progress to the RS-GP 23 bike. After a difficult season in 2023, he is hoping for more positive results in his third year in MotoGP: “ I'm just happy with the work we did. The rhythm was very good, especially when working with worn tires. It was not easy because we had to complete the work initially planned in five days in two ».
Raul fernandez ends about his Aprilia vintage 2023… “ I'm happy to be on this bike because it allows me to achieve fast times more easily. I'm very happy with the bike, it's made for me ».
MotoGP Test Losail J2: times
Credit classification motogp.com
