Raul Fernandez: “I don’t race for money – I race to be happy”

Eighteenth overall in the MotoGP world championship with only 15 points, Raul Fernandez endured his fair share of criticism in the early part of the 2025 season.

While the Spaniard is guaranteed a 2026 contract with independent Aprilia team Trackhouse, some have questioned whether his place on the grid is justified at all.

But the 24-year-old managed to silence his critics – temporarily at least – with a jump in performance during the MotoGP French Grand Prix weekend.

Fernandez first proved his talent and quality in 2021, his only year in Moto2, when he fought for the title until the last race. He was ultimately deprived of the crown by Remy Gardner, despite eight wins, 12 podiums and seven pole positions – numbers that would have made him champion in any other year.

In the first five weekends of the 2025 season, Fernandez only scored six points and the first rumours about his future began to spread – including talk that his team had given him some form of ultimatum to improve his performance. Trackhouse, however, says his agreement is secure.

“Raul has a contract and we will absolutely respect that,” said Davide Brivio, team manager of the North Carolina-based squad.

“There are no dates or ultimatums, but it’s clear that Raul needs to react – and he needs to do it for himself.”

At Le Mans, the Spaniard completed his best weekend of the season in terms of points, scoring nine, and results, as he finished the sprint 10th and Sunday’s race seventh – even if the conditions turned the race into something of a lottery.

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

On the Thursday before the Le Mans weekend, Motorsport.com spoke to Fernandez about his difficulties aboard the Aprilia, as well as the three-month timeframe for a reaction that the rider had allegedly been given.

“I think it’s something that I even talked about with the team,” said Fernandez. “I’m not thinking about a timeframe. I don’t want to live in a situation like that.”

“I have a very good team and a very good factory. But I need to be happy too, and I need to find [a way] to enjoy… and get off the bike with a smile on my face.”

Fernandez is not thinking about contracts or money, he just wants to be competitive and channel that rider who impressed so many in his only season in Moto2.

“With all due respect, I don’t race just for money – I race because it makes me happy. It’s something I’ve done since I was five years old and… I’ve worked my way up to MotoGP. As well as enjoying his confidence, Fernandez also has great faith in team manager Brivio.

“That’s what I also communicated to him: that I’m not here to race for money. [Money] is a consequence, but I come here to enjoy myself and the first thing I need is to be happy,” he insists.

“We haven’t found anything to be competitive. It’s not that the team isn’t helping, or Aprilia isn’t helping, but the circumstances haven’t been right.”

However, a small window was opened at the official test in Jerez on 28 April.

“I want to wipe the slate clean. On Monday (at Jerez) there was a good change and I want to confirm it.

“We are here to work. It’s a pity that two years in a row I have been injured in the pre-season and we have not been able to create a base [set-up].

“Last year it was a little bit better because we did a test in November (of 2023) with that bike, but this year we have not been able to build. Now we’ve had a test, let’s see if we can grow from there,” said the youngster from San Martin de la Vega.

While Fernandez did indeed take a big stride at Le Mans, Monday saw more talk of ultimatums involving Aprilia riders – only this time it was injured factory star Jorge Martin.