“Where's my contract?” - Trackhouse boss explains Fernandez patience before new MotoGP deal

Trackhouse boss Justin Marks has explained how Ai Ogura’s factory Yamaha move left team-mate Raul Fernandez in an uncertain position for 2027.

Ogura’s surprise decision meant Trackhouse “went to work figuring out what our future looked like.”

The rider search was then complicated by news of team director Davide Brivio’s end-of-year departure, to HRC.

Meanwhile, Fernandez was left waiting for clarity over his own future, but delivered under pressure with a Sprint victory at Mugello, ending a five-round podium drought.

Once a new Trackhouse deal was secure, the Spaniard has remained in the best form of his MotoGP career, with a grand prix win, Sprint win and two other Sunday podiums from the past three rounds.

"Where's my contract?"

“It shows the maturity and the fact that he is truly becoming a professional athlete,” Marks said of Fernandez’s reaction to the contract uncertainty.

“I think what's great about Raul is that - we didn't expect Ai to make the decision that he made, at the time that he did it.

“So we went to work figuring out what our future looked like on that side of the garage.

“At the same time, Raul was like, ‘Hey, where's my contract?’ you know?

“And so, he had to be very patient, and there was a period of time where he was uncertain.

“During that period of uncertainty, he performed.

“Then we signed the contract, he has security, he has a multi-year deal, we put our arm around him, and he [again] performed.

“Being able to go out there and do the job, regardless of what's happening in the garage, or in the hospitality, or at home, that's the mark of a great athlete.”

Fernandez is in his fifth MotoGP season, fourth year on an Aprilia and third with Trackhouse.

“Everybody grows at a different pace,” Marks said.

“When he had his Moto2 deal, he was winning, and he came in [to MotoGP], but then it was a couple of years of like, ‘Is he going to figure it out?’

“I think the whole time he was waiting for Trackhouse.”

Although yet to be officially confirmed, Enea Bastianini will follow Fernandez’s earlier move from Tech3 KTM to Aprilia’s satellite team as Ogura's 2027 replacement.

"If we go to Valencia fighting Marco or Jorge for the championship..."

Meanwhile, both current Trackhouse riders are in title contention.

Fernandez is sixth in the world championship, 56 points from the top, with fellow 2026 grand prix winner Ogura third behind factory Aprilia riders Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi.

"The relationship with Aprilia is really good. I laid out in the very first conversation that we had the type of relationship that I want," Marks said.

"I went to Massimo [Rivola] and said, 'I don't want this to be a factory team and a satellite team. I want this to be two teams that are working together to put four bikes in the top four every single time for Aprilia. 

"That means being on the same material, it means communicating with engineers, it means commercial support, all of those things. And luckily, it fit with Massimo's psychology and the psychology of Aprilia. 

"They understood we're not a customer, we're a partner in success for everybody. And so that has helped us, I think, get to the point that we're at right now, where we're winning these races and we're competing with them. 

"And after races like [Silverstone], the Aprilia guys are putting their arms around our guys. If we go to Valencia and we're fighting Marco or Jorge for the championship, I don't know. 

"The point is that we compete on the racetrack, and we're partners off the racetrack."