Raul Fernandez: Aprilia’s Emerging Captain Steering the Future Beyond 2025

2025 presents an opportunity for Aprilia's experienced MotoGP rider to emerge as its new leader

With a revitalized team, the responsibility falls on a singular rider to guide development, offering him an opportunity to excel.

April will be an exhilarating time for Aprilia, as they have successfully secured some of MotoGP's top talent for the upcoming season. They've managed to lure Jorge Martin away from Ducati, a significant coup considering his current form. Alongside him, they've brought on board Marco Bezzecchi, a rider with a track record of victories, and have also welcomed a promising newcomer, Ai Ogura, to the Trackhouse team.

However, this situation does present a certain challenge. Aprilia began the 2024 season on a high note, as Maverick Vinales clinched victory at the Americas Grand Prix.

However, it has since fallen behind its main competitor, Ducati. CEO Massimo Rivola recently conceded that his brand has not been on the right track with its RS-GP model. To stay in the race for 2024 and build a solid base for next year's model, continuous improvement of their motorcycle is essential.

As Vinales transitions to KTM, Aleix Espargaro joins Honda in a test riding capacity, and Miguel Oliveira is poised to receive a factory Yamaha ride with Pramac, Aprilia finds itself in a challenging situation, contemplating the extent to which it should allow its current lineup to evolve, given the risk of them potentially sharing insights with competing teams.

Additionally, the development for 2025 will be undertaken by a group of riders who are entirely unfamiliar with the RS-GP. This doesn't imply they lack skill, but given the restricted testing period currently available to riders, they will have minimal opportunity to familiarize themselves with the RS-GP before the upcoming season kicks off in Thailand this coming February.

In 2025, Aprilia's team will consistently feature Raul Fernandez, following his recent commitment to a new two-year contract that ensures his stay at Trackhouse Racing after this season concludes.

In theory, Fernandez's tenure with Aprilia hasn't showcased the standout performance anticipated from the Moto2 newcomer who made waves in 2021. Accumulating a total of 51 points throughout the 2023 season, and achieving his highest finish of fifth at the Valencia Grand Prix towards the season's close, Fernandez finds himself in 16th place in the rankings after 11 races into the 2024 season.

He's nearly matched his total points from the previous season, now sitting at 46, and secured a sixth-place finish at the Catalan GP. This came just a day after he started in the front row and led the sprint, only to end up crashing.

It should be noted that his season has been anything but simple. Fernandez started the season riding the 2023 RS-GP, only to transition to the 2024 model starting from the British Grand Prix. However, an accident in the first lap at Silverstone prevented him from completing the race on the new bike, and a mechanical problem towards the end of the race in Austria robbed him of the opportunity to earn points.

Despite trailing his team-mate Oliveira by just nine points, he has equaled his season's best grand prix finish, even though Oliveira secured a sprint podium in Germany. When it comes to their performance in qualifying rounds, they've been quite comparable. Oliveira leads the head-to-head 6-5 in qualifying, but this doesn't tell the whole story since Fernandez clocked the fastest time between them in France, only to be eliminated in Q1. Across the first 11 races, the average difference between them is 0.270 seconds, with the two being separated by more than 0.2 seconds on only three occasions.

Fernandez has won over Trackhouse with his insights and his dedication to the Aprilia initiative this season, and team proprietor Justin Marks considers the 23-year-old crucial to the Noale brand's success in the upcoming year.

"Having seasoned professionals on the team is incredibly beneficial, particularly in a sport where manufacturers are continuously enhancing their motorcycles and where having experience is crucial," he shared with motogp.com. "Moreover, Aprilia faces a significant task with all four of its bikes in the upcoming year, given that Raul is essentially the only rider with substantial experience. However, he is rapidly gaining more insight and expanding his understanding of the motorcycle."

"We're genuinely appreciative of his insights and grasp on the Aprilia motorcycle's evolution. It's not quite right to label him a veteran, but he's certainly accumulating significant experience. As we move into the upcoming year, he'll have spent several years with the Aprilia, and his wealth of experience will be crucial in its further development. He'll also be a great support for Ogura. Thus, at this moment, it seems like an ideal arrangement for us, and with Raul putting in the effort, he's poised to be a solid foundation for our team."

Aprilia is evidently banking on Martin to spearhead its efforts to become a leading contender in MotoGP in the coming years. However, all indications at present suggest that Fernandez might be its key player by the time 2025 rolls around.

After facing a challenging start with Tech3 KTM in 2022 and not making significant progress the following year with RNF Aprilia, Fernandez has made a noteworthy impact with Trackhouse, justifying his newly secured contract.

With Aprilia parting ways with Espargaro, often referred to as the team's 'captain' and a key figure since 2017, the team could significantly benefit from appointing Fernandez as his successor, should he maintain the impressive performance that has caught both the team's and Trackhouse's attention…

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