RAUL FERNANDEZ TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY AFTER SILVERSTONE CRASH

Raul Fernandez’s Silverstone weekend began with the kind of momentum that usually signals a breakthrough—both on track and off it. Ahead of the first sessions at the British circuit, the Trackhouse rider was in a confident mood, buoyed by the fact that his future with Trackhouse Racing had been secured through to 2028. The announcement brought a sense of relief after a period in which the path forward hadn’t always looked guaranteed, with discussions involving other teams also mentioned.

That optimism carried into qualifying. In Q2, Fernandez put his Aprilia RS-GP right where it needed to be, delivering a performance that placed him on the front row. With the team’s owner Justin Marks present in England, the atmosphere around the Spaniard was especially positive. Marks praised Fernandez directly in front of the MotoGP microphones, saying: “We are very happy to have him—Raul is part of the Trackhouse foundation in MotoGP, he is part of our family, and that we have more years together ahead of us is a big win.”

But only hours later, the mood swung sharply after a mistake in the early stages of the race action. Fernandez’s Aprilia “RF25” crashed in the first tight left-hand corner at Village, and although he stayed unhurt, he was furious—at himself. After the short sprint, he made it clear there was no one else to blame: “I’m very angry, because it was 100 percent my fault, clearly my mistakes!”

Explaining what went wrong, Fernandez described how he had been following Marco and using him as a reference point. “I rode behind Marco, studied him, I was faster than him,” he said. He then added that he had planned to carry more drive out of Turn 4, but admitted he came in too aggressively. “The real point was the very bad start. That’s what put me in that situation first.”

Fernandez also pointed to the start as the trigger for everything that followed. He lost three positions in the opening stretch and then had to push hard to fight back. Even with the setback, he remained in the championship picture, holding sixth place ahead of Pedro Acosta. Still, he didn’t try to soften the issue with excuses. He said he’d already felt something off with the clutch earlier in the day, and that during the sprint he noticed vibrations at the start. “We are working on understanding that exactly. I myself try to stay calm, focus, and be in the GP where we can,” he added.

Despite the crash, the broader Silverstone story for Aprilia wasn’t damaged beyond repair. The report noted that Aprilia had delivered a triple win in Q2, with that success carried through into the sprint as well—described as a first for a sprint. With points again coming in, the championship situation was said to have improved.

On Sunday, Fernandez delivered the turnaround in the race itself. The 25-year-old won in front of Marks after starting from pole position two, taking the lead into Turn 1 and then controlling the race. Speedweek described him as having “fun like a child” after the win, saying: “Ich hatte Spaß wie ein Kind da draußen.” In parc fermé, he added: “I’m very happy and I don’t even know what to say… It’s very special.” He also reflected on the earlier disappointment: “It’s true that I was angry on Saturday after my mistake—that was bitter. But that’s part of sport. As a person you can make a mistake—now I’ve made it right again.”

The Aprilia success didn’t stop with Fernandez. Speedweek reported an Aprilia three-way triumph on Sunday, with Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi joining him. Marks, meanwhile, said the contract extension had already paid off: “Raul’s future is now secure… If we give him a contract, he will perform even better—and that’s exactly what he’s doing now.”