TRACKHOUSE RETAIN Raul Fernandez FOR 2025
Raul Fernandez will stay in MotoGP next season after agreeing to a new deal with Trackhouse Racing. After making a breakthrough with the Aprilia RS-GP23 machine earlier this season, Fernandez has been rewarded with a new two-year deal.
Fernandez has enjoyed a strong second season with Aprilia, with the highlight being his performance in the sprint in Barcelona, where he led comfortably before crashing out of the lead. He also recorded his maiden front-row start in MotoGP last time out at Sachsenring.
On Monday, Trackhouse teased an announcement on their 2025 rider line-up, sending many into a frenzy about who it could be. But after a day of suspense, they announced a move that was expected as it allows Aprilia to have at least one rider with experience of the RS-GP bike next season, following the factory Aprilia racing team's decision to sign both Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi from Ducati.
“I’m super happy to remain with Trackhouse Racing MotoGP," said Fernandez. "That’s all we wanted; this new project, with Justin [Marks] and Davide [Brivio], is great and they have built a very good team. I am delighted to hear their plans for the future as they have a clear idea of what they want to do and for me, from the beginning of the year, it was my priority to try to stay in the team."
Fernandez continued, "At the end, I get to be here for the next two years which leaves me very satisfied but, of course, this also means we have a lot of work to do. We will have the full factory material in 2025 and 2026, obviously great news, and right now, we are gearing up to start with a new bike in the middle of this year, so we have to make good use of this to prepare for next year as well."
Credit: Gareth Harford/Gold and Goose
"We need to stay calm, understand everything about the bike and see what we have to do for the 2025 season – it is very important. Trackhouse Racing MotoGP is just an amazing team, I love the ideas of this American organization and I’m also happy to see Justin’s ambitions. He is new to MotoGP but ready to bring something different in here for the American market and I hope we can make a difference - trying to make MotoGP grow there."
Next up is Silverstone on the first weekend of August, where Fernandez will receive this year's RS-GP machine. Fernandez added: "Now, in Silverstone, we will receive the 2024 upgrade specification of the Aprilia, which is going to be exciting. The first part of this year has already gone well, especially the last four rounds, as we managed to make some big steps and took the maximum from the bike. I feel that we are on the limit at the moment, so it’s great to jump to the new Aprilia now. We will have the same material, like the factory riders and Miguel, so it will be interesting to find out about our level inside the championship, especially on the Aprilia side.”