Raul Fernandez has admitted he is not 100% fit heading into the Australian Grand Prix after breaking a finger in a crash at Mandalika a fortnight ago.
The Trackhouse rider was unfortunate to get caught up in a first-lap incident with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi during the sprint race for the Indonesian Grand Prix.
The impact left him with a broken index finger on his right hand, forcing him to adapt his technique and brake using his middle finger in the following day’s race. While there were doubts over whether he would be able to take the start, he battled through pain and fought for victory against Bezzecchi, before settling for second position behind the Italian.
While the short break since the Lombok event has allowed the injury to heal to some extent, Fernandez said he hasn’t fully recovered as he returns to the scene of his first grand prix victory in MotoGP.
“My condition compared to last year is a little bit worse, but compared with Mandalika, it is much better,” he said at Phillip Island on Thursday.
“It can be a good weekend. For sure, the condition that I have now is not 100%, so I will have to manage with the team, and then we see what we can do.
“Of course, in Mandalika, I crashed on Saturday and I raced on Sunday. Here, I will race [as well]. Then we will see.
“There are too many things that we cannot control. The first thing is the weather, which can change here every moment, and then we see how we can manage physically because I think this will be the more difficult thing for me.”
Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing
Fernandez claimed his maiden victory at Phillip Island last year, coming from fourth on the grid to beat VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio by 1.5s.
He was also the fastest rider at the last round of the season in Indonesia, having topped practice and qualified his bike on pole position, but the finger injury sustained on Saturday derailed his bid for victory.
Fernandez admitted that his victory at the 2025 Australian GP was made easier by both Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin being absent due to their own injuries, but is keen to fight for the top spot against the two title contenders this year.
“I am not thinking about what position can be possible,” he said. The thing is we have to work day by day, especially to see how my finger is during the weekend.
“Then, last year here Martin and Marco were not on the grid. So, it means that this year will be quite different.
“Anyway, if we are on the grid, we have our chance to to fight for that [victory] and for sure we will try.”
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