The Trackhouse Racing rider certified a career-best third for himself and the American workforce on Saturday morning on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Fernandez, driving the 2023-spec Aprilia that gained final 12 months’s dash and GP at Barcelona, took the lead on lap three of 12 and rapidly broke away from the pack by nearly a second.
However on lap 5, Fernandez crashed out at Flip 10, which he defined was all the way down to him compensating for a mistake which price him time at Flip 9.
“Now I really feel somewhat bit higher, however earlier than arriving to the field I used to be crying like a child,” he mentioned on Saturday after the dash.
“Actually, I wish to apologize to the workforce. I did a really silly mistake.
“I felt tremendous snug immediately, I felt I had all of it below management.
“I believe the crash was for a mistake. I used to be attempting to compensate for a mistake I did within the curve earlier than the one I crashed at.”
He added: “I don’t know why; I had a variety of motion in Flip 9. I misplaced somewhat little bit of time, I felt, however I attempted to compensate on the brakes [at Turn 10] and I mentioned ‘f**ok, I’m going extensive’.
Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing Group
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photos
“However in the mean time I attempted to shut the road and I crashed.
“Was 100% my mistake, I used to be possibly in that second the ambition was an excessive amount of as a result of I didn’t wish to lose an excessive amount of time.
“But it surely’s a part of the sport. Actually, I’m completely happy as a result of we noticed we could be right here. I noticed that we’re aggressive. Simply it’s a query of time.
“We’d like time. We have to put every part like I need and we at the moment are on an accurate means.”
Vital progress for underpressure teenager
Fernandez narrowly missed out on the Moto2 title in 2021 in a season through which he scored a document eight wins for a rookie within the class.
However his time in MotoGP has been missing in outcomes, with Fernandez scoring simply 14 factors in 2022 with Tech3 and KTM earlier than shifting to Aprilia’s satellite tv for pc outfit final 12 months – which was RNF Racing on the time.
He had only one grand prix high 5 all season, fifth on the finale in Valencia, whereas the begin to 2024 has been even more durable.
Albeit not with machine parity to the remainder of the Aprilia steady as he’s on the 2023-spec (although is about to get the 2024 chassis sooner or later this season) Fernandez hasn’t breached into the highest 10 on a Sunday but.
With important strain being positioned on him by Moto2 frontrunner and US-born racer Joe Roberts for his seat on the American Trackhouse squad, Fernandez faces an unsure future.
However in Barcelona, after a troublesome Friday, he managed a primary entrance row – beating a better of ninth in Qatar final 12 months – and mentioned Aprilia helped him to really feel like he did in Moto2.
“It isn’t what we wish, we don’t wish to crash however we crashed after we have been main,” Fernandez mentioned.
“So, I believe we’re working so nicely, day-to-day I really feel extra snug.
“In the present day I felt a really huge change on the bike, I really feel Aprilia helped me loads. Yesterday was actually troublesome day, I didn’t really feel snug on the bike, I felt it actually troublesome to handle the bike.
“However immediately I really feel snug, I really feel I can trip simple – I really feel like once I was in Moto2, which was vital.
Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing Group
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photos
“Okay, I did a mistake, I can’t return, I’ve to be targeted on what we did, I have to be targeted on tomorrow and I’ll attempt to do the identical tomorrow.
“I believe we had the tempo, it was tremendous simple.
“The crash was not as a result of I used to be attempting to get the monitor document, simply I crashed as a result of a mistake. However I used to be actually calm on the bike and I really feel tremendous snug.”
On the most important enhancements made, Fernandez famous: “We labored somewhat bit on the set-up from yesterday.
“For me, the principle factor is the electronics half. We modified the thoughts on the digital, I attempted to alter additionally somewhat bit my type to adapt my type to this sort of monitor as a result of for me it’s not tremendous simple.
“But in addition, the massive change was the electronics. It’s not [made the throttle delivery] delicate, it’s one thing the place I can drive and I don’t want to consider what to do to go quick.
“For me, the principle factor is immediately I can trip like I need and I don’t have to consider what I’m doing. So, that is what we modified.”
