Marco Bezzecchi
Raul Fernandez has taken a huge step forward in MotoGP in recent months, but he does not feel he is on the level of riders like Pedro Acosta.
In his first three seasons in MotoGP, the Spaniard failed to meet the high expectations placed on him after his brilliant Moto2 season in 2021, when he won eight races and recorded 12 podiums. With no podiums in that time, Fernandez had been considering retirement.
In 2025, Aprilia bosses were watching Fernandez closely as he struggled to understand the RS-GP. However, in his second season with Trackhouse, he suddenly turned a corner.
Predict the order of the Aprilia riders in the 2026 MotoGP standings
Fernandez’s results were much more consistent, culminating in his first MotoGP win at Phillip Island and a P2 finish in Valencia, which earned him a top-10 finish in the championship for the first time.
Fernandez won a MotoGP race before Acosta, who has proven to be a strong contender at the front with KTM. But despite his progress, the Trackhouse rider does not think he is at the level of his compatriot.
Raul Fernandez says he is not a 2026 MotoGP title contender
Fernandez continued where he left off last year at the Thailand Grand Prix, finishing second in the Sprint and third on Sunday. Meanwhile, Acosta leads the championship after winning the Sprint and finishing second in the Grand Prix.
With these results and Aprilia closing the gap to Ducati, many might see Fernandez having an outside chance at the title, but the 25-year-old does not think so.
He said on the Fast & Curious YouTube channel: “Well, I said it on Friday, well, Saturday morning too, that for me, it’s still true that in the latter part of 2025 I was competitive, but Marc was missing, Jorge wasn’t there.
Pedro Acosta leads the championship for the first time in his career after his P2 in Thailand. Will he be a genuine contender this season?
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“I still have to learn. I’m not a contender for the title. We have to be the driver who is regularly in the top eight, and if we can do a little race like the other day, we’ll do it, but I still lack experience, and that’s the way it is, isn’t it?
“It’s cool to see because, in the end, with Marc, since I was little, I’ve seen it on TV, I remember when we were racing, right? We were little and we watched him race, and in the end, seeing Maverick, Marc, all of them, well, I don’t know, now it’s a little weird, isn’t it?
“It’s true that with Marc, well, I had never fought him. When I started doing well, he had the misfortune of getting injured and now, well, yes, it did impress me a little, didn’t it?”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Raul Fernandez from net worth to career stats
Raul Fernandez says he’s 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 does not think he is quite up to the level of Acosta or Marc Marquez.
“Low profile, and good, more than pressure, it’s simply low profile and because I think I still need to take one last step that I haven’t quite managed yet,” he added.
“Hey, I haven’t won a sprint yet, I still need a few things that I think are necessary before I can think about fighting for a world championship.
“Title contenders, Bezzecchi, Márquez, Pedro, I see them as a little more complete than me right now, so I think they have to be the benchmark and we have to be the riders who can pop up from time to time.”
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