Raul Fernandez devastated by lost Mugello MotoGP “amazing opportunity”

Raul Fernandez says he is “sorry” to the Trackhouse MotoGP team and to Aprilia after going wide at the first corner at Mugello and losing what he felt was a chance to finish on the podium.

Aprilia dominated the race in Italy. Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin finished 1-2 for the factory team, and Fernandez’s Trackhouse team-mate Ai Ogura was nearly third, just losing out to Francesco Bagnaia on the final run to the line.

Fernandez had started on the front row with Bezzecchi and Martin, but ran wide at the first corner and dropped almost to the back, effectively ending his chances of a good result on the spot.

The Spanish rider was close to Bezzecchi entering turn one on the first lap, but he insisted afterwards that he ran wide not for Bezzecchi’s fault, but for an issue shifting into second gear to take San Donato.

“First of all, I have to say sorry to the team,” Raul Fernandez said after the Mugello race.

“It was something quite strange because from yesterday I had the point to brake, I had the reference clearly: it was the first white line. 

“But today for some reason when I brake and I remove all the gears to arrive to the second one [shifted to second], for some reason it doesn’t enter the second one. 

“So, from that moment I had to take more the front brake, and when I take more the front brake– it was not a mistake from Marco [Bezzecchi] because Marco made the best that he can, but he changed the line and he was sliding a little bit. 

“In that moment, I take the slipstream and I have to use even more the brake; I start to make some slide, and I couldn’t stop the bike and I was wide. 

“It was strange because the gearbox was working well, but for some reason the second one doesn’t enter. 

“Anyway, right now I feel super-bad for the team, I feel super-bad for Aprilia. 

“I think today we had an amazing opportunity.”

If Fernandez thinks the issue that forced him wide was that the bike didn’t shift gears, why does he feel the need to apologise?

“Maybe I don’t make all the movement,” he explained, referring to the movement of his left foot to change gear. 

“We need to analyse. What I know is that in the moment I started to brake, I removed three gears, but the last one, for some reason, I was [wondering if] it was in second, was in third, and in that moment I was wide.”

Whatever the cause of the error, Fernandez rued what he suggested could’ve been a chance to win, but at least a shot at the MotoGP podium.

“Okay, in Australia I won, but today I think was the first time that I feel very strong,” he said.

“Also, this morning with the used tyre I was making 1m46.0s, 1m46.1s in the Warm Up – I feel much better than yesterday, again. 

“Also I have to say that I was no nervous, when I arrived to the first braking I was clear [about] what I have to do. I cannot explain well what I feel now; I feel bad, very bad, and that’s it.”