Raúl Fernández never thought that his first victory would come this season and with such a recital of driving and composure on a postcard circuit like Phillip Island. But it came and the internal demons that any driver has in the elite when the results do not arrive vanished overnight with a liberating victory in the Australian GP. The young man from San Martín de la Vega, unknown to the general public after four seasons in the premier category without any podium, knew how to take advantage of a golden opportunity and with his arrival he also gave the first victory to the American team Trackhouse, and the 300th in all the world championship categories of his supplier Aprilia.
Fernández, who landed in MotoGP in 2022 as Moto2 world runner-up, was about to throw in the towel and hit rock bottom after finishing fifteenth in the Spanish GP held at the end of April of this year in Jerez. He did not enjoy life, he was unable to smile, and it was difficult for him to get up in the morning. His environment embraced him and encouraged him, giving him the space and confidence necessary to try one more time, and it worked.
“I don’t believe it yet, I’ll need time to digest it. It’s been a long time, and luckily I’ve had my people and team close by, always believing in me,” acknowledged the brand new winner from the parc ferme. The Spanish pilot, a very cerebral guy, let out all the anger and frustration accumulated on his long road to the pinnacle of motorcycling. He also cried, especially in the hug with his parents and, away from the cameras, with his little brother Adrián, also a Moto3 World Cup rider.
Fernández knew that it was a day to get on the podium, and the double lap sanction for Marco Bezzecchi, the fittest guy on the grid, left the race very open. The number 25 felt comfortable and inspired, and at the start he was in the wake of the Aprilia leader, going from fourth position on the grid to second in the first corner. The man from Madrid did not get upset when Pedro Acosta, two-time champion in the intermediate categories, put the bike in front of him on the third lap, and even understood that the figure of the Murcian KTM rider could help him in his winning bid, blocking the rest of the group. On the fourth lap he returned the move and on the fifth he took the lead after Bez’s first long lap, who after serving his second penalty on the seventh lap fell from first to seventh place, already too far away to aspire to victory.
The rest was, for Fernández, a demonstration of determination and granite mentality at the climax of his sporting career, leading by more than three seconds over his closest pursuer, finally a Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46) who saved Ducati’s honor with his comeback to second place. Bezzecchi, however, was able to scratch a podium that seemed impossible after serving the double penalty in the race and overtaking Álex Márquez on the penultimate lap who, with his fourth position, comes even closer to confirming the runner-up position in the world championship next week in Malaysia.
“Today is your day, enjoy it,” Adrián had whispered to Raúl before starting the race of his life, the dream of so many and the reality of a select few. And his greatest support on the circuits was not wrong. Fernández, who will turn 25 next Thursday, is already the sixteenth Spanish rider to achieve a victory in the premier category, finally a protagonist in the elite of motorcycling. “He is the most important person I have, thanks to him I am here now,” acknowledged the protagonist of the day when referring to his 21-year-old brother. He was also grateful to Davide Brivio, his team leader and great supporter within the paddockand , his home for the last three seasons.
“Everyone helped me. They gave me calm. From there it was time to build a base, that’s sport. It’s building a house, and the faster you go, the faster it can be destroyed. We never thought that this moment could come this season,” Fernández said on DAZN. He came from a hole so deep that his mission wasn’t even on the runway. “It wasn’t just the fact of continuing or not in MotoGP, but being able to be happy. I wasn’t having a good time at all. I couldn’t even get up in the morning with a smile, and that is the most important thing in life,” he stressed when remembering his psychological state after the race in Jerez.
“We needed a little bit now,” his father celebrated through tears. “He has been magnificent, brilliant, he has passed a great exam, the definitive test of maturity,” Brivio added. Until this Sunday, Fernández’s best result in MotoGP had been fifth place, but since his reset in Jerez he had smiled again and it was noticeable on the asphalt. Third in the sprint from Indonesia and second this Saturday in Australia, in a couple of weeks he has uncorked all the confidence, speed and strength that led him to promote MotoGP at the age of 21 and now make him a winner in the premier category. Although it took a long time, the wait was worth it.
