MotoGP: Raul Fernandez Offers Surprising Verdict After Riding 'Wingless' At The Australian GP

Saajan Jogia | Oct 22, 2024

Apr 12, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Raul Fernandez (25) of Spain and Trackhouse Racing during practice for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The challenging winds at the Phillip Island circuit make it the only track on the MotoGP calendar where riders can race without aerodynamic components. Taking advantage of this unique condition, Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez competed in the Australian Grand Prix without an aero package on his Aprilia and delivered a surprising assessment of the bike’s performance in such a setup.

Fernandez had never ridden an 'aero-less' MotoGP bike since his debut in the premier class around three years ago. However, the Spaniard's race was hindered by a challenging start to the race at Phillip Island, which saw him drop to 13th place in the first lap despite starting from sixth, leading him to finish in the tenth position. Speaking after the race on Sunday, the Aprilia rider told the media:

“We tried it yesterday [Saturday] and it went very well.

“This is the only track in the world championship where you are allowed to remove the wings, because of the intense wind.”

Despite the significant setback with the race start, Fernandez revealed he was amazed riding the Aprilia RS-GP without wings and had the confidence to finish fourth. He explained that the 'wingless' run was good for data collection but confirmed the importance of executing better race starts for the future. He added:

“Running without the wings was really good, I was really flying. The feeling was incredible.

“I had never ridden without wings, it was very nice. Aprilia [trusted me] and I offered myself as a guinea pig to make a good bike. I had a great time, it's been a long time since I've felt a bike like this.

“I think I had the pace to finish fourth. I was catching the group ahead of me at the end, so I was happy with our pace and I think we did a good job.

“We held the gap to Fabio di Giannantonio’s group. We had the same pace and at the end we were even faster.

“We talked about [the idea] with the team on Saturday and decided to do it. And the truth is that it has been very good for us to collect data for next year.

“The [experiment] was a bit crazy, but we got some good conclusions. The real pity, the most annoying thing, is to lose so many positions at the start.

“Basically we have to understand what we have to do to start well, because this is the key in MotoGP. We have a lot of wheelie and when that happens you cannot use the power. I have to close the throttle.”