BRAKE TROUBLE SENDS RAUL FERNANDEZ INTO JAPANESE GP Q1

Raul Fernandez will have to fight through Q1 at the Japanese MotoGP after a brake issue disrupted his Practice time attack and left him 13th in the session. The Trackhouse Aprilia rider said he believed he had the pace to reach Q2 directly, but inconsistent braking repeatedly pushed him wide and cost him a clean lap.

“I’m a little bit frustrated because today we had everything to be in Q2 directly,” Fernandez said. “For some reason I didn’t feel really comfortable with the brake – I think it was not really constant and I was wide too many times during the lap.”

The problem came after a day Fernandez otherwise viewed positively. He said the team had made progress in an area that had been a priority, particularly acceleration, and that he felt more comfortable on the bike. The crew also worked through tyre choices, assessing both rear options while managing the limited supply of the front tyre he normally uses.

“I think we improved a lot,” he said. “The critical point for us before coming here was acceleration; I think we are in the good way because I feel much more comfortable.” Fernandez added that the team had done “a very good job” understanding the rear tyres and planning around the front-tyre allocation.

His confidence followed work before the weekend and between FP1 and Practice. Fernandez praised the engineers for addressing the areas where he had lacked confidence in the opening session, saying the changes brought “one step, or two steps” and made the bike competitive in that respect.

The immediate task is to identify what went wrong with the brakes and find a fix before the next day’s sessions. “Now for me it’s just understand why we had so many problems with the brake and try to find a solution for tomorrow,” he said. Despite the setback, Fernandez believes the team has a solid understanding of the rear tyre and is ready to bring the package together for a fast lap.

His team-mate Ai Ogura also missed out on a direct Q2 place. Ogura’s primary bike expired early in the afternoon session, triggering red flags, and he will join Fernandez in Q1.