Raul Fernandez: I’ll have surgery on Tuesday

Raul Fernandez has revealed he will undergo arm pump surgery immediately after Monday’s post-race Mugello MotoGP test.

The Trackhouse Aprilia rider, whose right arm has previously been operated on, said he has secretly struggled with the issue in recent rounds, including during his career best ride to sixth in Catalunya.

After medical checks confirmed ‘a problem’, the young Spaniard decided to make use of the extended break between Mugello and Assen, due to the postponement of Kazakhstan.

“Since the beginning of the year I have been struggling with arm pump again and it was very hard today and so, next Tuesday, I’ll have to undergo surgery again,” said Fernandez, who finished 12th in Sunday’s Italian MotoGP.

“Today, especially in the last seven laps, it was really hard to keep control of the bike with this issue. I tried to finish the race as best as I could but it was very difficult and I’m glad we have a solution for this problem.

“For the future, I’m sure it’s going to be fine and I hope we can improve after the surgery as, today, I had to save a lot of energy for the last part of the race and was thinking too much about my right arm.

“Anyway, I’m happy about this seventh round - my team is believing in me and I believe in them. Day by day we are getting closer to the factory Aprilia’s and even with my arm problems we were close to Aleix (Espargaro) and Maverick (Viñales).”

Fernandez, who races the 2023-spec Aprilia, will test the 2024 bike again on Monday in preparation for a switch to the newer bike (although he will need to keep his current engine spec) after the summer break.

"We have the test here and it is important for Raul as he will test the ‘24 bike again but this time we will go more deeply into details as it will be the last opportunity before he starts using it," said team principal Davide Brivio.

Fernandez was far from the only rider to suffer physically at Mugello on Sunday, with Monster Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins among those battling with the ‘heavy’ feeling of their downforce-laden bikes.

However, Quartararo, who finished outside the points in 18th, is clear that a technical change, rather than surgery, is needed for the M1.

“It was basically a very tough race, especially on the physical side,” said the Frenchman, who has already undergone forearm surgery in the past. “I had an issue with my arm, I could not really ride well on the last ten laps.

“It's not arm pump, it's just that my arm is on the limit when we're riding at this type of track.

“We had expected more from this race. We struggle when the grip is low. Hopefully we can find a solution to make the bike easier to ride.

“We have some things planned for tomorrow's test to combat one of our weaker points. If it helps here, I think, it will also help with the physicality of riding.”