SportMotoGPRaúl Fernández: "Quartararo went up to MotoGP without winning...

Raúl Fernández: "Quartararo went up to MotoGP without winning before, that's the example"

Raúl Fernández ‘s (Madrid, 10/23/2000) is proving to be a meteoric career. He made his World Championship debut with an invitation at the 2016 Valencia GP, finishing 11th. The following two seasons he contested three and four races, respectively, with a ninth place at Germany 2018 as his best result. In his second full year in the championship (2020) he achieved two victories and climbed to the podium four times, remaining 15 points behind the champion and making the jump to Moto2, an unexpected maneuver at the time. As much as it has been, after only one year in the intermediate class, his jump to MotoGP .

But his eight victories, an absolute record for a rookie, and twelve podium finishes in his first year in Moto2 guarantee his arrival in the premier class, despite the fact that he does so without having won any championship along the way, as great champions did before, such as Casey Stoner or Fabio Quartararo.

“Life goes by stages, there were people a year ago who told me that I was crazy to get up to Moto2 and look at the results I’ve obtained at the end,” explains Raúl Fernández in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com .

“In 2020 I was 15 points away from winning the Moto3 World Championship, this year I was only four away from the Moto2 title, I am being regular”, justifies the promotion.

“You have to look at the example of Fabio, who seeing his time in the other categories, without winning anything, people said he was crazy to get up to MotoGP, and today he is world champion and everyone applauds him. In the end, you are guided by what you feel and if everyone around me, my team, KTM and I have decided to be here today, it is because all of us, together, have believed that it is the best option for my sports career and my future.” , argues the new Tech3-KTM rider.

Although he does not consider that he has to justify his decision, Raúl does not escape the fact that everything is going very fast in his life and that he must assimilate the step taken.

“The truth is that I still can’t believe it, I see myself dressed in the colors of my new MotoGP team, something you always dream of, to get here, but it’s hard to assimilate,” he admits.

“When the lists of next year’s riders were published a few days ago and I saw myself next to names like Marc Márquez, Maverick, Aleix or Pol Espargaró, the truth is that you don’t believe it, it’s something very nice. I have to assimilate it and live it, and above all prepare myself very well. Everything I’ve done this year has been thinking about competing in Moto2. Neither physically nor psychologically have I prepared myself to compete next year in MotoGP”, he acknowledges.

In addition to Raúl, four other riders will arrive in MotoGP next season: Remy Gardner , Fabio Di Giannantonio , Marco Bezzecchi and Darryn Binder , so being the rookie of the year is already an ambitious goal for any of them.

The Madrilenian sketches a slight smile when asked if he has already started thinking about it.

“Yeah, sure… we all like to think about those things. The first objective is to fight with Remy and show, or see, who is the best in the same conditions”, he points out.

“This year he was fighting with an advantage that was the experience of having six seasons in Moto2, an experience that I lacked, and we have been fighting all year until the last corner of the last race. I think that is going to be my main objective: to beat my teammate and, above all, the boy with whom I played the World Cup until the last race, (Gardner) is going to be my main rival and first objective”, the boy points out. of San Martin de la Vega .

Gallery: the best rookies in the MotoGP era

2002 –Daijiro Kato

2002 - Daijiro Kato

1/20 _

Foto de: Richard Sloop

2003 – Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team

2003 - Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team

2 / 20

Photo de: Repsol Media

2004 – Ruben Xaus

2004 - Ruben Xaus

3/20

Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

2005 – Tony Elias

2005 - Toni Elias

4 / 20

Photo by: Gauloises Fortuna Racing

2006 – Dani Pedrosa

2006 - Dani Pedrosa

5 / 20

Photo by: Repsol Media

2007 – Sylvain Guintoli

2007 - Sylvain Guintoli

6 / 20

Photo by: Yamaha Motor Racing

2008 – Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing

2008 - Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing

7/20 _

Photo de: Yamaha Motor Racing

2009 – Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing

2009 - Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing

8 / 20

Photo by: Pramac Racing

2010 – Ben Spies, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

2010 - Ben Spies, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

9 / 20

Photo de: Bridgestone Corporation

2011 – Cal Crutchlow, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

2011 - Cal Crutchlow, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

10 / 20

Photo by: Tech 3

2012 – Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP

2012 - Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP

11 / 20

Photo de: Hazrin Yeob Men Shah

2013 – Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

2013 - Marc Márquez, Repsol Honda Team

12 / 20

Photo by: Repsol Media

2014 – Pol Espargaro, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

2014 - Pol Espargaró, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

13 / 20

Photo by: Bridgestone Corporation

2015 – Maverick Viñales, Team Suzuki MotoGP

2015 - Maverick Viñales, Team Suzuki MotoGP

14 / 20

Photo by: Suzuki MotoGP

2016 – Tito Rabat, Estrella Galicia 0.0 Marc VDS

2016 - Tito Rabat, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS

15 / 20

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

2017 – Johann Zarco, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

2017 - Johann Zarco, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

16/20

Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

2018 – Franco Morbidelli, Estrella Galicia 0.0 Marc VDS

2018 - Franco Morbidelli, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS

17 / 20

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

2019 – Fabio Quartararo, Petronas Yamaha SRT

2019 - Fabio Quartararo, Petronas Yamaha SRT

18/20 _

Photo de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

2020 – Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

2020 - Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

19/20

Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

2021 – Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

2021 - Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

20/20

Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Schedules of the Valencia GP of MotoGP in Cheste and how to see it

The Cheste circuit hosts this weekend, from November 4 to 6, the 2022 MotoGP Comunitat Valenciana GP. See the schedules and all the information.

"Don't talk to me!": Danni Büchner makes a clear announcement to hated party guests

Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.

King Charles III Portrait now on the first coin: Serious change to the Queen

Charles III first coins with his portrait are there. Coin lovers immediately discover two striking differences.

Unknown colourfulness

Bird Species Discovered on Islands in Indonesia

Braking was tricky

Apart from that, everything worked like a picture book for the railway world record in Switzerland

More