Raul Fernandez clocked the fastest time: “I don’t want to get in Marco and Jorge’s way”

Trackhouse-Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez had remained in the slipstream of the MotoGP elite at the start of the Indonesian Grand Prix. The Spaniard had finished FP1 in fifth place with a time of 1:30.5 minutes, a performance that went almost unnoticed. In qualifying, which started at 3.35 pm local time – over 30 minutes late following a power cut – a sort of ‘Fernandez 2.0’ emerged.

After just his first flying laps on potential race tyres, the number 25 was already at the top of the timesheets. At times, Fernández had to relinquish the lead – but that was more of a temporary blip. For with his first attack – or rather, the way the Madrid native was riding – Fernández put in a whole string of almost identical laps, pulling Marco Bezzecchi up to second place in the process.

Then came the bombshell in the final. The Trackhouse rider – who had already finished third in the Sprint and sixth in the Indonesian GP in 2025 – blasted a time of 1:28.725 minutes past the competition. Fernandez was thus 0.219 seconds faster than Marco Bezzecchi – and the new holder of the lap record. Even more impressive: Marc Márquez, in fifth place, was already 0.7 seconds off the pace.

Nummer 25 auf 1: Raul Fernandez

Foto: Gold and Goose

Fernandez laid his cards on the table: “We knew we’d be quick here – though that was specifically in relation to race pace. We learnt that last year. But we didn’t expect things to go so well in the Attack session.”

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10.10.2026 - 02:35

The fastest rider in qualifying emphasised: “But pace is more important to me than the lap record. We were really good over quite a few laps here. The times on the medium tyres would have been enough for Q2 as well.”

The Trackhouse rider’s view of the World Championship three-way battle between Martin, Marquez (Ducati) and Bezzecchi is very neutral. Fernandez: “For me, it’s an opportunity that I’m enjoying. I’m focusing on myself – and that might allow me to stay out of it all. I don’t want to get caught in the middle, and I don’t want to get in Marco and Jorge’s way – they’ve got enough to deal with in Marc. Another advantage for me is that I’m riding completely without pressure.”

The Spaniard concluded his analysis: “I still have more potential in the first sector; the Aprilia factory riders are also slightly stronger here. It’s very, very good in all sectors – if you were to tailor a circuit specifically for Aprilia, it would be Mandalika.” Fernandez is full of confidence: “Trackhouse are doing a great job and I’m enjoying myself – so let’s try to see it through.”

One minor blemish: only Ai Ogura failed to make it into the top ten in the Mandalika qualifying session. The Japanese rider will be looking to catch up with his Aprilia team-mates in Q2.