Tires not overheated: This is how Raul Fernandez found the crucial limit

– Raul Fernandez experienced the highs and lows of a MotoGP weekend in Silverstone. In qualifying, the Trackhouse-Aprilia rider missed his first pole position by just 21 thousandths of a second.

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After a botched start, Fernandez crashed out in the sprint. “What did I say to myself? You are an idiot,” he looks back on this crash on Saturday.

“We had talked with Davide [Brivio] about not making a mistake, and then I made a stupid mistake. Of course, it all started with a bad start, but after that I didn’t really manage the situation well.”

“That’s why I was pretty frustrated with myself. So today I was very focused, because the only thing I can control is what depends on me. That’s why I concentrated on myself.”

In the Grand Prix, Fernandez delivered a masterful performance. At the start, he overtook polesitter Jorge Martin (Aprilia) in the first corner and then pulled away.

His lead quickly grew to up to four and a half seconds. Was he not worried that the medium rear tire wouldn’t last until the end? “I think the warm-up helped me understand where the limit is.”

“I was pretty angry with myself and maybe pushed too hard. In doing so, I understood that the tire’s limit might be around a 58.4 or 58.5 and that after that you have to try to run low 59-second laps directly.”

“That’s why I wasn’t worried about the tire’s performance in the last part of the race,” says Fernandez. Nevertheless, Martin closed to within two seconds in the last quarter of the race. Fernandez, however, managed the race perfectly.

Jorge Martin was no threat

That’s why he also calls it a perfect race himself: “Jorge came about three or four tenths closer, and in the next lap I had my four-second lead again.”

“I’m happy about that because I managed the race as if I was going to win – and that on a track where I normally don’t get good results.”

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“Now I can maybe say it’s a good track for me. Anyway, I’m happy. After the frustration from the sprint, the team helped me turn that frustration into good energy that I could use on the bike.”

“I’m really happy. I’m very happy for my team, for Justin, because I think it’s the first time he’s seen one of us win in MotoGP. I’m very happy about that.”

Trackhouse boss Justin Marks attended the MotoGP in Silverstone. He is not at every race on site, as the team also runs three cars in the NASCAR Cup in the USA.

Fernandez does not think about a world championship chance

For Fernandez, it was the second Grand Prix win. In autumn 2025, he won for the first time in Australia. Which win was better? “I think Australia was the best win because it was my first after so many years.”

“But of course I’m happy because this win is something special since we now have three podiums in a row and today the win was there. That’s why I’m happy. Now we want more.”

“I’m happy and want to enjoy it with the team, but we have to keep our feet on the ground. So: enjoy, go home, train hard, and come back stronger.”

In the world championship standings, Fernandez is sixth and 56 points behind. Despite his first win of the season, he does not see himself immediately in the fight for the world title, as that was not the primary goal this year either.

“As I have said too often: I don’t really think about the championship. I think I still have too many things to learn. The riders ahead of me have much more experience. That’s why I still don’t think about it.”

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