Rain may have affected the second day of the MotoGP test at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, but Raul Fernandez (RNF MotoGP Team) still improved significantly.
The session started on a wet track in the morning and a few showers interrupted the day, but the young Spaniard not only learned to ride his new Aprilia RS-GP in the wet, he also set fast times in the dry .
Raul Fernandez was in fact 0,701 seconds faster than Friday, which was only his second day riding the Aprilia RS-GP, thus posting the sixth time of the day and only missing first place by 0,376 seconds, at the end of the 35 laps completed on Saturday.
Raul Fernandez : " My job during the pre-season was to regain my confidence. Then the fast times will come by themselves. We had a good plan but because of the weather we had to change everything. It was difficult because the track was never completely dry. Nevertheless, I took the opportunity to understand the bike and the tires better, and overall, I'm really happy. We didn't change the settings too much. I didn't start chasing the time, but my lap time wasn't bad. We worked very hard on the pace, and it's important for me to understand the bike better. We also managed to work in wet conditions, it's complicated with the weather but I'm really happy with the result of what we did today. I had a better feeling, a smile on my face and I enjoyed today's session. Tomorrow we will try to do a lot more laps and work more on myself. »
The RNF pilot even confided in his key to being efficient: “ I like driving, it makes everything easier. My goal is to enjoy riding the bike, because if you don't, it's like a crime for a rider and it can quickly destroy your career. You have to love your job and I'm happy to have rediscovered this pleasure of driving. I feel at home at Aprilia, because I also found my 2021 Moto2 team leader (Noe Herrera). »
The only downside to this enchanting picture is that the Madrilenian is not yet ready to face the rain during the race: “ If it rains on Sunday and during testing in Portugal, I'm not ready to drive the Aprilia. I'm hoping for dry weather as we still have a lot to figure out and test. »
Sunday is the final day of testing at the Sepang International Circuit, before the entire paddock heads to Europe for two more days of testing at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, Portugal, in March, ahead of the first of 21 2023 rounds at the same location.
Ranking of MotoGP Test results at Sepang J1:
Ranking of MotoGP Test results at Sepang J1/J2:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
