He immediately became a record man in Moto2, finding himself at the center of a market dispute. This alone is enough to make it very clear why Raul Fernandez is probably one of the most anticipated rookies of the 2022 MotoGP season, if not the most anticipated of all.
With his eight victories in the rookie year in Moto2 he managed to beat the previous record of seven that belonged to Marc Marquez, therefore to the sacred monster of the last decade of the premier class. Which generated a certain interest from Yamaha, which also made an attempt to try to snatch him from KTM, which however wanted him so strongly as to revise his plans in Moto3 to make room for his brother Adrian and therefore convince the Spaniard. to accept a Tech3-branded RC16.
Next week he will be among the drivers who will start the season early, taking to the track in the Sepang shakedown, reserved for rookies and testers. Today, however, on the occasion of the presentation of the MotoGP program of the Mattighofen manufacturer, he had the opportunity to talk about his expectations for this debut.
Raul Fernandez, KTM Tech3
Photo by: KTM Images
You are now a fully-fledged MotoGP rider. How does it feel to finally say it?
“When you are a kid, you never think this moment will really come, but now I can say that I am a MotoGP rider, and for me it is an incredible feeling. Sometimes, when I go to training, people ask me what mine are. expectations and I reply: ‘Yes, I’m in MotoGP, but don’t think about it too much!’. I’ll be a rookie, I need to learn everything about the category, step by step and day by day. The important thing is to understand a little at a time, then we’ll see what happens. “
How was it to give the news of your move to MotoGP to relatives and friends?
“With my friends it was very different than with my family, because my family knew the situation right away. Maybe I was more excited than my family. Then with my friends I said: ‘Maybe I’m going to MotoGP …’ And they asked me, ‘How do you feel?’ There wasn’t much to say, it’s been my lifelong dream! “.
You had a record season in Moto2 last year …
“It was incredible. I was a rookie, but also the driver who won the most. When the season was over, however, I no longer thought about the results. I lost the championship by a few points, but now we have started a new year and I’m really focused on preparing for the 2022 season. But when I think about it, wow, it’s been a fantastic season, even if it’s the past now. The future is to work out in the gym to build mass and try to stay at the highest level all the time. that’s why I don’t want to think too much about the past. “
Raul Fernandez, KTM Tech3
Photo by: KTM Images
Can we expect to see the same dominance you have shown since joining the KTM world?
“It’s difficult, isn’t it? This is my fourth season in the World Championship and I’m already in MotoGP. Sometimes people forget that I’m a rookie, for example in the last season in Moto2. Some people put pressure on me because they want me to win. but I like this pressure. It helps me to put all my concentration to try to do better. Of course, now I arrive in a completely different category and I am the youngest rider in MotoGP. So it will be a bit different season than last or since the one in Moto3, even if I will commit myself as always. My world is always the same, so I hope that the result is the same, even if you never know. The KTM project is improving year by year and we need to understand what the limit will be this season to progress together with me and the bike “.
Have you changed your training to adapt to MotoGP?
“In Moto3 it had all been difficult, because I’m a big boy and the weight on the bike made itself felt, so I couldn’t eat almost anything. Moto2 was more my category, I could eat more, but without exaggerating with training, otherwise weight could become a problem there too. Now I have started to increase the weight I work with in the gym and I can put on some more muscle. I remember the first two days of testing on the MotoGP and physically it was incredible, I was really tired , so when I started working out in the gym I concentrated a lot on the muscles. In the last three years I have always changed categories and this has led me to use different training strategies “.
There will be five rookies on the grid. What is your goal for 2022?
“Of course, I want to fight for the Rookie of the Year, that’s the main goal. But now I don’t want to think about the results or just one goal. Now is the time to prepare with the team, to have a better understanding of the bike. We will have eight days of testing to understand as much as possible and this is the main goal. When we go to Qatar, maybe we can start talking about goals. “
Remy Gardner, KTM Tech3, Raul Fernandez, KTM Tech3
Photo by: KTM Images
In 2022 there will be 21 GPs. This means for you 21 circuits to discover on the RC16 …
“It’s a bit difficult, I’ve never done 21 races in a championship. In the last two years everything has been complicated due to the COVID situation, so we have done a lot of races in Europe. 2019 was my first World Championship in Moto3 and I’ve already seen many tracks outside Europe, but we still have to think race by race, because if we focus on a specific track it might not be the right way to understand everything. “
You arrive in MotoGP and you can count on the experience of high-level figures. What advice did Dani Pedrosa and Esteban Garcia give you?
“For me it’s incredible. I remember when I was a very young rider, I was in Jerez and Dani won in MotoGP. Now he’s here with us and he’s helping us. For me it’s great to work with people like Dani or like Esteban, because I can improving day after day, and they bring a lot of experience to the team. For us it is the best combination. A technical leader with a lot of experience and a super driver. “
Your team has a very close relationship with the brand …
“Yes, it is incredible to have a brand behind it that helps you or that tries to give you what is best for you. I am lucky because the team is small, familiar, and for now there is not much pressure, because there are two riders. more experienced riders who can fight to get excellent results and develop the bike. Now is the time for me to learn, but I’m really happy to have a brand behind me. “
Thinking about the end of your first season in MotoGP, you would be happy if …
“If I win the title of Rookie of the Year I will be very happy, but now is not the time to think about it, because in one season anything can happen. Last year I said the same thing, then I had a fantastic season. But , yes, of course I want to try to be the Rookie of the Year, even if I don’t know if that will happen. “
Bike of Raul Fernandez, KTM Tech3
Photo by: KTM Images
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