OXLEY SAYS FERNANDEZ HAS LOST FOCUS AFTER SIGNING TRACKHOUSE DEAL

Raul Fernandez’s results have dipped since he secured a new contract with Trackhouse, prompting journalist Mat Oxley to suggest the Spaniard has lost focus after the pressure of uncertainty lifted.

Fernandez’s place in MotoGP was in doubt during the early part of the 2026 season. He was due to become a free agent at year’s end, and his agent, Paco Sanchez, said several teams turned down approaches about signing him for 2027. Sanchez acknowledged that the rejections made Fernandez “start to worry”.

The 25-year-old responded with a strong run before the summer break. He won the Assen Sprint, finished second in the Dutch Grand Prix and third in Germany, convincing Trackhouse to retain him. The team had initially offered a one-year extension, but agreed to Fernandez’s request for a two-year deal, keeping him through 2028 and into MotoGP’s next rules era. He celebrated the announcement at Silverstone by winning the British Grand Prix.

That victory came after Aprilia’s Jorge Martin, who had started from pole, dropped back when his rear ride-height device failed to disengage before Turn 1. Martin recovered to second, 2.538 seconds behind Fernandez, who won unchallenged.

Oxley believes the security of the contract may have changed Fernandez’s approach. Speaking on the Oxley Bom Podcast, he said riders have sometimes produced exceptional results while fighting to secure a deal, then eased off once it is signed. “He signs the deal and then he’s like, he just takes a deep breath and goes, ‘OK’, and suddenly that need to kind of live on the edge has gone,” Oxley said. “And, to me, that seems to be the case with Fernandez. He signed that deal at Silverstone and has become distracted. He’s lost that focus that he had before.”

Fernandez’s form since Silverstone has given weight to the concern. He retired early in Aragon, placed sixth at Misano and finished 12th in Austria. Oxley also argued that Fernandez no longer appears to have the edge that the best riders retain. The Spaniard’s season has included other highs: he took third at the opening Thai Grand Prix and won the Mugello Sprint by 1.289 seconds over Martin. But he did not finish higher than seventh across the eight Grands Prix after Thailand.

The latest results have widened the gap to Martin. Fernandez is seventh in the standings, 103 points behind the Aprilia rider; after the British Grand Prix, the deficit was 56 points. His post-contract slump has therefore followed a period that not only revived his prospects but secured his future with Trackhouse.