Continuing his steady improvement at the end of last season, Raul Fernandez finished the Sepang tests in seventh place, sandwiched between Morbidelli's Ducati and Acosta's first KTM. This result was encouraging for the Spanish Trackhouse Racing rider, even though not everything worked as it should have.
"I feel good because, after failing to complete the first day of testing for two consecutive years, finishing exhausted is positive. These were very important days, as we had to decide which aerodynamic package to adopt, not having enough time to prepare everything or choose another one to homologate in Thailand. So, from this point of view, I'm happy because we gave the go-ahead to something I like, while there are still some elements that I'm not totally comfortable with. In particular, in terms of speed, there is still a lot of work to be done," he explained, sharing the current weakness of his Aprilia with the media.
"The time attack was the worst part of the test, especially when I put on the soft tyre and when the track had a lot of grip. I couldn't do a fast lap and I couldn't take full advantage of my riding style. On the contrary, I felt comfortable with the race pace or at least on used tyres," he acknowledged.
"Last year, from mid-season to the end of the season, I made continuous progress in qualifying, which led me to achieve good results. As a result, improving the bike in time attack will be crucial. At Buriram, we will have to try to understand how to get the most out of the soft compound. That said, overall, I am happy with what we have done," he later considered.
The work of the Noale-based manufacturer was therefore approved. "The bike is competitive, and Bezzecchi has proven to be very fast in time attack as well. Personally, I will have to work hard to find a solution in this regard, given that we are already on pace for the race," he commented .
Eleventh overall, and quite disappointed, was teammate Ai Ogura, who was convinced he could have performed better, or at least more in line with his expectations.
"I expected something more, so I'm not satisfied. I think it's a mix between the rider and the bike. Honestly, I expected to be a few tenths faster, but I couldn't do it. The feeling on the bike is better than the 2025, but finding that extra push was difficult," he confessed.
When asked if he had compared himself to Bezzecchi to understand where he was losing the most, the Japanese rider replied: "Mostly in the fast corners. He manages to carry more speed and therefore turns the bike more quickly."
The next opportunity for redemption will be in Thailand on February 21-22. "It's a different track and also one of my favorites," he pointed out before revealing that he had not been in perfect physical shape during the three days in Malaysia. "I caught a cold. Even though I've kept the air conditioning off since I've been here, I caught it anyway, and I don't know why. Fortunately, it didn't affect my riding too much."
Despite everything, there is something positive. "I completed the entire scheduled program and had no accidents," he finally remarked.