Raul Fernandez credits “a magic pizza” for his 2025 MotoGP season turnaround

Trackhouse MotoGP rider Raul Fernandez has credited “a magic pizza” with his team early in the 2025 season for the turnaround that led him to become a race winner.

The Spaniard had high expectations on his shoulders coming into 2025, as he was the only returning Aprilia rider within the marque’s stable.

But the start of the campaign proved difficult, with Raul Fernandez outclassed by rookie team-mate Ai Ogura and failing to breach the top 10 inside the first five rounds.

The post-Spanish Grand Prix Jerez test proved useful in adapting the bike to better suit him, though he also credited a moment with his team around this time for helping him find better form.

“Between the test and the race, we had a magic pizza,” he said during the Trackhouse 2026 livery launch.

“I remember well, after one of the most difficult races for me in MotoGP, we went to a restaurant, and we ate a magic pizza.

“And from there, everything changed, and it was a fantastic feeling.”

Fernandez also praised the support he received from crew chief Noe Herrera and Trackhouse team boss Davide Brivio.

“Well, with Noe, we’ve been working since 2021 together,” he added.

“He’s very important for me, because he’s the person in the box who, when he has something good to say, he’ll tell me.

“But when I make a mistake, he comes and tells me the bad thing [that I did].

“That is very important for the riders.

“And also Davide has a lot of experience in MotoGP, he helped me, especially in one of the most difficult moments of my life, like at the beginning of the season.

“It is a pleasure to have these kinds of people around me because I can learn every day from them.”

Trackhouse revealed two liveries it will race with during the 2026 season, with the US-based outfit partnering once more with Gulf.

It will use its special Gulf livery at five rounds in 2026, while Trackhouse’s corporate colours will be present for the remaining races.