Raul Fernandez had one of the best races of his career finishing second in the Indonesian Grand Prix, despite competing with two broken fingers. The Trackhouse Racing driver overcame significant adversities after a complicated Saturday that left him with injuries before the race.
After the race, Fernandez expressed his gratitude to the medical staff of MotoGP, who made it possible for him to achieve this impressive result. Although it was already known that he had one broken finger after the sprint race, it was discovered that a second finger was affected on Sunday morning.
The main issue was the index finger of his right hand, which the rider usually used to brake. To participate, he had to look for an alternative to operate the brake, working together with the team to adjust his technique. Thus, he managed to brake using his middle finger.
Despite the pain, Fernandez led the race for a third of the distance, but he could not prevent factory rider Marco Bezzecchi from passing him later on. “I don’t know how I did it,” the rider reflected, highlighting the difficulties of controlling the bike with his injuries and adapting to a new braking technique.
The day was especially tough as he had to learn a new riding style in record time. “The references were totally different and that made the situation very complicated,” he added. After a few laps, physical fatigue began to set in.
Furthermore, he acknowledged the exceptional work of the medical staff led by Dr. Angel Charte, who helped him with a good bandaging to keep the finger in the correct position on the handlebar. Without this support, he probably would not have been able to compete.
Finally, the Aprilia duo, with Bezzecchi and Fernandez, contributed to an impressive 1-2 performance for Aprilia this weekend, which has helped mark a turning point following the incident involving them during previous races.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
