Let's talk MotoGP: How come no one talks about him?

This 2024 season is also that of the invisible. Behind the favorites, many drivers fight for low-paying places whose efforts are never captured by international achievement. Raul Fernandez is one of them. However, after his Moto2 season in 2021, many saw in him the future of our sport given his precocity and his speed. But today, three years later, no one talks about him in the MotoGP ecosystem. The worst part is that there are valid reasons as its results are disappointing.

A barely believable fact

Raul Fernandez has never shone in MotoGP until now. Despite what many tried to sell us at the time, the Spaniard is struggling to establish himself, and even struggling. While he benefits from the latest version of the Aprilia RS-GP since the British Grand Prixhe is out of the picture more often than not, and, as a result, does not progress in the slightest in the rankings.

Catalonia – which we will also find at the end of the week – was somewhat deludedbecause at the time, he was the only driver in Noale's squadron to enjoy the qualities of the RS-GP23 on a circuit which had been favorable to him the year before. If we omit this sixth place, it's quite sad. In addition to falling quite often, he has recently been unable to finish in the top 10. His last appearance in these positions dates back to the Thailand Grand Prix Sprint, again finishing sixth – his best result in the short format.

This soft-bellied subscription of the peloton continually pushes him down in the general classification, because even those behind him manage to achieve brilliant results. This leads to a situation that I didn't think was credible: Raul Fernandez still has five points less than his teammate Miguel Oliveira… while the Portuguese has already missed the last five Grands Prix due to injury. Five races is a quarter of the season, and the icing on the cake is that Miguel himself was having a very average season before his absence.

Raul is in 16th position in the general classification, and could, in the event of a poor performance in Barcelona, finish behind Oliveira despite six more GPs raced. He is only 13 points ahead of Johann Zarco, and is 80 points behind a declining Aleix Espargaro.

Why continue with him?

Some will tell me that I am harsh with this driver, because it is true that I have hardly spared it for three years. But personally, I find it very difficult to understand why Trackhouse Aprilia extended its contract for two more seasons. If we look back at his career in MotoGP, it comes down to this extremely difficult year with KTM Tech3 – finished 22nd overall – when he didn't want to ride for the French. Many in the paddock had criticized his behavior even before the start of the season for him wanting to move to Yamaha.

Then, picked up by RNF Aprilia in 2023, he was blithely dominated by Miguel Oliveira, finishing only 20th. In 2024, he is 16th, maybe 15th if he overtakes the Portuguese in Barcelona. It's a progression, okay, but nothing blatant. Above all, nothing suggests a drastic improvement, both his declarations and his progress on the track.

He has some… notable facts, shall we say, like this resilience in Sepang in the face of the heat, which he had already faced in Thailand last year. Moreover, at the time, he did not fail to tackle the official Maverick Vinales, who had given up because he was so suffocated. Not sure if he is
team player dreamed of within a very high level team. These two promised seasons offer him a certain serenity, which indirectly translates into satisfaction with these poor results.

In my opinion, this is a risk, because Moto2 is full of incredible talent. Trackhouse Aprilia will add Ai Ogura, the champion of the intermediate category, and there is a good chance that he will be as good or better than Raul Fernandez in his first season.

Barcelona to save him?

There remains one Grand Prix to compete, and this one will take place on a fairly favorable circuit, where he has been the best this year.
Be careful not to be fooled like some pseudo-analystsbecause one weekend is never enough to judge the dynamics of a driver. Even if he gets a top 5 (as was already the case in Valencia last year), that won't mean that the genius buried under four years of depth is finally waking up.

I'm curious to know what you think of this pilot and its evolution. Tell me in the comments!

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

Photo : Michelin Motorsport