Raul Fernandez taken to hospital after heavy Portugal MotoGP FP1 crash
Raul Fernandez is being taken to hospital for checks after an FP1 crash in Portugal
Trackhouse MotoGP race winner Raul Fernandez is being taken to hospital for checks after suffering a heavy crash in FP1 for the Portuguese Grand Prix.
The Spaniard came off his satellite Aprilia at Turn 1 with just under 20 minutes remaining in Friday morning’s FP1 session.
His bike went all the way to the air fencing, while Raul Fernandez was able to get to his feet - albeit visibly shaken up by the spill.
He was later taken to the circuit medical centre for checks, with Trackhouse now confirming that he will be transferred to a local hospital for a CT scan.
After Raul’s crash in Turn 1, he had a check-up in the medical centre here and is being transferred to the local hospital now for a CT scan,” a brief statement from the team read.
“We’ll know more later and keep you updated.”
An absence from the remainder of the Portimao weekend will come as a major blow to Fernandez, who comes to Portugal after a strong run in the flyaways.
The Spaniard scored a maiden sprint podium in Indonesia, before taking his first grand prix victory in Australia two weeks later.
Aprilia also has strong past form at Portimao, with Maverick Vinales winning the sprint for the factory team last year and narrowly missing a grand prix podium due to a technical issue.
The Italian manufacturer has been plagued by injuries this year, with 2024 world champion Jorge Martin absent after suffering a shoulder fracture in Japan.
That marked his fourth major injury of the season, while in Indonesia, Aprilia had to compete with just 50% of its stable due to Trackhouse rookie Ai Ogura being forced onto the sidelines.
Gresini’s Alex Marquez led the way in this morning’s FP1 in Portugal, while Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi began the weekend strongly in second.
Fernandez was left in 18th due to his crash.
KTM’s Pol Espargaro, who is deputising for the injured Maverick Vinales at Tech3, also suffered a crash on Friday morning.
However, his tip-off at Turn 2 resulted in no ill effects for the Spaniard.
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