Raul Fernandez finishes #SpanishGP in 15th place, DNF for Miguel Oliveira

The Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto kicked off with a full house of spectators eagerly waiting to witness the teams and riders this morning for Sunday’s main race. After completing the Warm Up and the Fan Parade, Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira geared up for 25 hot laps at the 4.42-kilometer venue in the South of Spain, where disaster struck already in the first lap, setting an unexpected tone for the rest of the race.

Starting from seventh on the grid, Miguel Oliveira had a promising start but was unfortunately pushed wide in the first turn. His race came to an abrupt end in corner two after a collision with several riders. The race was then red flagged and Oliveira was immediately checked in the medical centre, where doctors revealed a dislocation of the humerus of his left shoulder, which was put back in place. Initial scans didn’t reveal any fractures, yet he was still transferred to the local hospital in Jerez de la Frontera for further detailed checks on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Raul Fernandez, who began the race from P17, briefly slipped to 20th place after the restart. However, he quickly regained two positions during the first lap. In the first 10 laps, the Spaniard showed a decent progress, climbing up to P14, but then he started to have trouble with his arms again, which caused him to lose power. Although he had a decent speed, he lost a position in the second part of the race and eventually crossed the finish line in P15, collecting one World Championship point.

Fernandez is yet to decide together with the doctors, if he will use tomorrow’s official test to evaluate his conditions or undergoing surgery, while the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team awaits updates on Oliveira, who will not be present on Monday.

RAUL FERNANDEZ

First of all, I am sorry to the team and Aprilia as I had another issue today. In the race, after four laps I faced the same problem with my right arm. I went to see the doctor today to see what we can do as it is impossible for me to race like this. I can’t say much about the race, I finished the race for the people in my team, for Aprilia and for all the fans but I can’t ride like this as it was super difficult. I will try to find a solution for Le Mans. We did four races and in three of that I had this issue, so we need to see tomorrow with the doctors on what we can do.