Raul Fernandez signed off the Indonesian Grand Prix in second place, sliding past a jagged path of broken fingers.
After a crash Saturday, Fernandez left the track with a fractured index finger in his right hand. By Sunday morning a second break surfaced, threatening the very digit he used to grip the throttle and brake.
Team Trackhouse, working in partnership with Aprilia, re‑engineered the bike’s trigger routing so the rider could apply brake pressure with his middle finger. The setup required a full bandage and a new reach profile, a tweak the rider had to master in the limited warm‑up window.
Fernandez admitted he entered the race with no familiar reference points. “I had zero feeling on how to brake or corner; everything began from scratch,” he said, describing the grueling learning curve over the first dozen laps.
Even with the pain, the Spaniard led the field for a third of the course before Bezzecchi overtook him. He praised the medical crew for applying a stabilising tape that allowed the finger to sit correctly on the handlebar, enabling focus on the evolving track.
Angel Charte, MotoGP’s medical director, noted the tape’s role in keeping the forearm relaxed. “Without that support it might have been impossible to race,” Fernández acknowledged, grateful for a team that turned a medical setback into a podium.
Aprilia’s performance ran a clean 1‑2‑3‑4, with Bezzecchi taking the win and Fernandez following. While their sprint clash sparked tension, post‑race exchanges were friendly, hinting at a mutually respectful rivalry.
Adaptation under pressure
Fernandez’s ability to re‑calibrate his braking early in the weekend earned respect back on the circuit. A wired adjustment from the medical team saved his race, and the team’s rapid reconfiguration kept his lap times within reach of the front runners.
A podium that validates resilience
The result signals Aprilia’s depth: with two riders topping the leaderboard they cement a strong campaign ahead of the next round.
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