For several months now, Raul Fernandez has looked different – far more consistent on track and more mature off it, particularly when speaking to the media. Last season, his best since moving up to MotoGP, progressed steadily until he claimed a victory and two podiums in the final four rounds of the calendar. That late surge helped him finish inside the top 10 in the overall standings and as Aprilia’s second-best rider. All of that came despite the crash he suffered in Portimao in the penultimate race of the season, where he injured his left shoulder and was unable to line up on the grid on Sunday.
The effects of that injury resurfaced last Sunday in Buriram during the warm-up ahead of the race that opened the championship. Television footage showed Fernandez clearly in pain around the same shoulder after an awkward movement. Even so, the Trackhouse rider managed to secure a podium three hours later, matching the third place he had already achieved on Saturday – results that leave him third in the overall standings, nine points behind championship leader Pedro Acosta.
