The Trackhouse Racing rider certified a career-best third for himself and the American group on Saturday morning on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Fernandez, driving the 2023-spec Aprilia that gained final yr’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 right down to him compensating for a mistake which price him time at Flip 9.
“Now I really feel a little bit bit higher, however earlier than arriving to the field I used to be crying like a child,” he mentioned on Saturday after the dash.
“Truthfully, I need to make an apology to the group. I did a really silly mistake.
“I felt tremendous snug immediately, I felt I had all of it beneath management.
“I feel the crash was for a mistake. I used to be making an attempt to compensate for a mistake I did within the curve earlier than the one I crashed at.”
Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing Group
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
He added: “I don’t know why; I had loads of motion in Flip 9. I misplaced a little bit little bit of time, I felt, however I attempted to compensate on the brakes [at Turn 10] and I mentioned ‘fuck, I am going broad’.
“However in the meanwhile 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 need to lose an excessive amount of time.
“However it’s a part of the sport. Truthfully, I’m completely happy as a result of we noticed we might be right here. I noticed that we’re aggressive. Simply it’s a query of time.
“We’d like time. We have to put the whole lot like I need and we at the moment are on an accurate manner.”
Important progress for beneath stress teenager
Fernandez narrowly missed out on the Moto2 title in 2021 in a season through which he scored a report 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 yr – which was RNF Racing on the time.
Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing Group
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
He had only one grand prix prime 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 secure 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 vital stress 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 tricky Friday, he managed a primary entrance row – beating a better of ninth in Qatar final yr – and mentioned Aprilia helped him to really feel like he did in Moto2.
“It’s not what we wish, we don’t need to crash however we crashed after we had been main,” Fernandez mentioned.
“So, I feel we’re working so effectively, day-to-day I really feel extra snug.
“In the present day I felt a really massive change on the bike, I really feel Aprilia helped me so much. Yesterday was actually troublesome day, I didn’t really feel snug on the bike, I felt it actually troublesome to handle the bike.
Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing Group
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“However immediately I really feel snug, I really feel I can experience simple – I really feel like after I was in Moto2, which was vital.
“Okay, I did a mistake, I can’t return, I’ve to be centered on what we did, I must be centered on tomorrow and I’ll attempt to do the identical tomorrow.
“I feel we had the tempo, it was tremendous simple.
“The crash was not as a result of I used to be making an attempt to get the observe report, simply I crashed attributable to a mistake. However I used to be actually calm on the bike and I really feel tremendous snug.”
On the largest enhancements made, Fernandez famous: “We labored a little bit bit on the set-up from yesterday.
“For me, the primary factor is the electronics half. We modified the thoughts on the digital, I attempted to vary additionally a little bit bit my type to adapt my type to this sort of observe as a result of for me it’s not tremendous simple.
“But additionally, the large 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 primary factor is immediately I can experience like I need and I don’t have to consider what I’m doing. So, that is what we modified.”