News Summary
- Raúl Fernández revealed that fuel consumption problems forced him to manage his pace during the Qatar Grand Prix.
- The Trackhouse rider held second place for most of the race before Marc Márquez overtook him with three laps remaining.
- Fernández finished third despite continuing to recover from finger injuries that had prevented him from racing in Malaysia.
Raúl Fernández revealed that fuel consumption problems prevented him from defending second place against Marc Márquez during the Qatar Grand Prix, explaining that he had been forced to reduce his pace despite spending much of Sunday’s race immediately behind winner Marco Bezzecchi.
The Trackhouse Aprilia rider eventually finished third at Lusail, just 0.531 seconds behind Márquez, after losing second place with three laps remaining. Although the result marked an impressive return from injury, Fernández admitted frustration because he believed better fuel management could have allowed him to fight the Ducati rider until the finish.
The Spaniard had arrived in Qatar still recovering from injuries to the fingers of his right hand, which had forced him to miss the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Fernández explains fuel consumption problem
Fernández made an excellent start from fourth on the grid, moving into second behind Bezzecchi during the opening lap. The two Aprilia riders initially established an advantage over the chasing group, with Fernández attempting to remain in the leader’s slipstream to reduce fuel consumption.
“I’m really happy to be back on the podium,” Fernández said after the race. “To be honest, I don’t really expect to come here and fight for the podium.”
“The target was just to see how the fingers were. I didn’t really feel pain when I was on the track. I was just trying to follow Marco, be really focused on my job, and to try to save fuel.”
However, the strategy did not produce the expected result. Fernández realised during the opening third of the race that his fuel consumption was higher than anticipated, forcing him to manage his pace.
“For sure, I am a little bit frustrated, because at the beginning of the race I tried to stay behind Marco to try to save fuel, and I was not able,” he explained.
“After six-seven laps, I started to have too many problems with the fuel [consumption].”
“Then I tried to keep the gap with Marc. But I didn’t really made a really good job at the beginning of the race, because I was not able to save the fuel enough to keep Marc behind me.”
The problem affected Fernández’s consistency, with his lap times fluctuating as he attempted to balance performance against the fuel remaining.
Márquez capitalises on Fernández’s difficulties
Márquez initially lost positions after starting second and spent the early stages behind Fernández and Pedro Acosta. The Ducati rider gradually recovered and began reducing the gap to the Trackhouse motorcycle as the race progressed.
Fernández’s reduced pace allowed Márquez to move into striking distance, eventually completing the overtake with three laps remaining.
The move proved significant in the championship. Márquez gained four additional points by finishing second rather than third, increasing his advantage over Jorge Martín to 60 points.
The Qatar Grand Prix race report details Márquez’s recovery and Bezzecchi’s commanding victory.
Fernández admitted that he attempted to follow Márquez after losing the position but could not recover the necessary pace.
“When Marc overtook, I just tried to stay with him, because before the end of the season, I would like to fight with him until the end.”
Despite the disappointment, Fernández successfully defended third place from teammate Ai Ogura, who finished fourth.
Trackhouse rider identifies difference to Bezzecchi
Fernández also explained why Bezzecchi had been able to establish such a commanding advantage despite both riders using Aprilia machinery.
The Trackhouse rider identified the final corner as one of his main weaknesses, particularly because it affected his acceleration onto Lusail’s long main straight.
“Especially the last corner. I had too many problems preparing for the main straight, and maybe this was the big difference,” he said.
“But also, I didn’t have a lot of expectation before the weekend. Whereas he was coming here with a very strong mentality.”
Bezzecchi led all 22 laps to secure victory, finishing 3.083 seconds ahead of Márquez and 3.614 seconds ahead of Fernández.
The result gave Aprilia three motorcycles inside the top four, with Ogura completing an impressive afternoon for Trackhouse.
Fernández’s podium also contributed to the manufacturer’s challenge against Ducati in the Constructors’ championship, where the gap between the two brands fell to just 8 points after Qatar.
Fernández leaves Qatar encouraged by injury recovery
The result was particularly important because Fernández had arrived at Lusail uncertain about his physical condition.
His right-hand injuries had affected his ability to brake and control the motorcycle, but the Spaniard reported considerably less discomfort during the Grand Prix than he had anticipated.
The third-place finish also reinforced Trackhouse’s position among MotoGP’s leading independent teams. Fernández remains seventh in the riders’ championship with 258 points, while Ogura is fifth with 294.
With Portugal and Valencia remaining, the Spaniard hopes to continue challenging the leading factory riders rather than merely defending positions in the midfield.
The championship returns at Portimão on November 20–22, where Marc Márquez will have another opportunity to secure the world title.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following the final rounds of the 2026 MotoGP championship, with breaking news, race results and updates in its MotoGP section.
