One MotoGP rider hasn't yet tested his 2025 bike

Trackhouse Aprilia MotoGP rider Raul Fernandez didn’t have a 2025 RS-GP to use in the Barcelona test but a major breakthrough still made it a “very important day”.

Fernandez endured a difficult second season on the satellite Aprilia, as he switched mid-season from the 2023 RS-GP chassis to the 2024.

He managed just 66 points across the campaign, with his best result a sixth at the Catalan GP while still riding the 2023-spec Aprilia.

Fernandez had a scoreless final three founds in the 2024 season, which left him “destroyed” after the Solidarity GP.

With no spare 2025-spec RS-GPs to ride in the post-race test, Fernandez was able to focus on a key weakness of electronics and feels like he has made a breakthrough for next year.

“Overall, we didn’t have the ’25 spec in the box,” he said.

“So, we were focused a lot on the ’23 and ’24 bike to understand a lot of things. For me, basically it was a little bit better the ’24, but we started to work on different things on the bike.

“We worked a lot during the day on the electronics. It was my worst point over the last two years and at the end I felt something different on the bike.

“I felt I can use more my style with the electronics. So, that is one of the good points from today.

“Sure, in the future we will have problems with the electronics again, but now we see a set-up for more or less all of the tracks to have a base set-up to start to work.

“So, it was a very, very important day, also to see because we have two or three different people in the box. It was nice to see how they are in my group.

“So, I’m happy how they come. Overall it was a really positive day. After Sunday’s race, I was destroyed.

“I was just trying to be in my bed, being like a child trying to cry every night.

“But we improved a lot on the electronics, we can see something different at the end. I think for the future we will improve more with Fabiano also.”

Fernandez says the progress he made with electronics on the Aprilia in the test allowed him to “adjust my style” because he now understands this area of the bike better.

When asked if his issues were down to him not understanding them or his team, he replied: “50/50. To be honest, I don’t know.

“Just what I can tell you is I can adjust my style to the electronics because I understand the electronics.

“So, it’s 50/50. So, now I put everything together and now I feel one way to work.”