Raul Fernandez has made big strides in MotoGP in recent months, but he doesn’t feel he’s on the level of riders like Pedro Acosta.
In his first three seasons in MotoGP, the Spaniard has failed to live up to the lofty expectations of him after a season in Moto2 that saw him win eight races and score 12 podiums in 2021. With no stage at that time, Fernandez was considering retirement..
By 2025 Aprilia bosses were watching Fernandez closely. While struggling to understand RS-GP. However, with the second season Tracking housesuddenly turned a corner.
Predict the order of Aprilia riders in the 2026 MotoGP rankings
Fernandez His results were more consistent with his first MotoGP win at Phillip Island and a P2 finish at Valencia, giving him his first top 10 finish in the championship.
Fernandez won the MotoGP race before Acostawhich proved to be a strong contender at the front with KTM. But despite his progress, he does not think that the trackhouse rider is at the level of his countryman.
Raul Fernandez says he is not a contender for the 2026 MotoGP title.
Fernandez picked up where he left off at last year’s Thai Grand Prix, finishing second in the sprint and third on Sunday. Meanwhile, Acosta He leads the championship by winning the Sprint and finishing second in the Grand Prix.
With these results and Aprilia closing the gap to Ducati, many may see Fernandes as having an outside chance at the title, but the 25-year-old doesn’t think so.
Lai said. Fast and curious YouTube channel: “Well, I said on Friday, well, Saturday morning, for me, I was still a contender in the 2025 finals, but Mark was gone, George wasn’t there.
Pedro Acosta leads the championship for the first time after P2 in Thailand. Will he be a true contender this season?
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“I still have to learn. I’m not a competitor for the step. We have to be a regular 8th place driver and if we do a little race like every other day we’ll do it but I still lack experience and that’s the way it is, isn’t it?”
“It’s good to see because I’ve finally seen him on TV with Mark since I was little, I remember when we were racing, right? We were little and we watched him race, and we finally saw Maverick, Mark, and we were all, well, I don’t know, it’s a little weird now, isn’t it?
“It’s true I’ve never fought Mark. When I started doing well he was unlucky to get hurt and now, well, yeah, I’m a bit surprised, aren’t you?”
Read more: Everything you need to know about Raul Fernandez from net worth to career statistics
Raul Fernandez says he is not ‘complete’ like Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez.
The Spaniard says he is keeping a ‘low profile’ in MotoGP as he knows he needs to take another step forward. He doesn’t think he’s up to the level of Acosta or Marc Marquez.
“Low profile and well, above pressure, it’s simply low profile and because I think I have to take one last step which I haven’t been able to do so far,” he added.
“Hey, I haven’t won a race yet, I still need a few things I think are important before thinking about fighting for the world championship.
“The title contenders, Bezecchi, Marquez, Pedro, I see them as a bit more complete than me now, so I think they have to be the benchmark and we have to be the riders that emerge from time to time.”
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