{"id":74792,"date":"2025-08-17T10:17:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T10:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/74792\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T10:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T10:17:08","slug":"raul-fernandez-claims-podium-pace-at-motogp-austrian-gp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/74792\/","title":{"rendered":"Raul Fernandez claims podium pace at MotoGP Austrian GP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite one of his strongest race showings of the season, Raul Fernandez<\/a> cut a surprisingly disappointed figure after the sprint at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The Trackhouse Aprilia rider believed he had the pace to challenge for a top-three position, but was forced to retire from sixth place when his ride-height device stuck in place.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

Fernandez\u2019s steadily improving form has hit a new level since the last race in the Czech Republic, where he qualified sixth and finished the grand prix fifth.<\/p>\n

Despite lining up only ninth for the sprint at Spielberg, the Spaniard made a strong start and ran fifth before being demoted one spot by KTM\u2019s Brad Binder<\/a>. Yet he was not satisfied despite another reminder of the clear strides taken since a dire start to the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s difficult when you start the season so badly and race by race you feel [more] comfortable and you feel that you are improving a lot\u2026 to see that you are fifth in the sprint and you have some problems is not really nice.<\/p>\n

\"Raul <\/p>\n

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing<\/p>\n

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography \/ LAT Images \/ via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew before starting the sprint that we had the pace to fight for the podium. So [that] was the target. I made a really good start, and when I saw that the start was good, I tried to push more, to try to close the gap with [factory Aprilia rider] Marco Bezzecchi<\/a> because I think in this race the pace was quite\u2026 lap by lap I feel that the pace was almost the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fernandez\u2019s best race lap was just over a tenth slower than that of Bezzecchi. He was the sixth-fastest rider by that metric.<\/p>\n

Despite Saturday\u2019s disappointment, Fernandez is looking ahead to a Sunday on which he will race a rear tyre he prefers over the soft compound used in the sprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will take the positives \u2013 the potential that we have and the race pace that we have for tomorrow,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will be interesting to see if it\u2019s dry because I think I feel even more comfortable with the medium rear. I am not really happy but I think we can take really good positives for tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fernandez also confirmed that it was a ride-height device issue that began to compromise his race from the fifth lap, shortly after which Binder relieved him of fifth place. The issue ultimately led to his lap-nine retirement after the device stuck for good.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

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