Raul Fernandez Explains Grid Chaos in Qatar MotoGP Stemming from ‘Error Code’

Spanish rider Raul Fernandez got off to a poor start in his Trackhouse race at the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix, with grid confusion due to an “error code” on his bike. Expectations were high after a good performance in the warm-up, but shortly before the start, Fernandez’s sudden hand raise forced the start of the race to be cancelled.

Fernandez, who finished third in the heat, explained the frustrating situation: “Honestly, I was very frustrated. After a really good warm-up and an overall very positive weekend, we were very competitive. On the grid, I had a problem with the grid electronics … I saw the lights on the dashboard and something was wrong.”

Team leader Wilco Zeelenberg detailed the display of the “error code”: “Raul had an error code on his dashboard before the start. After two or three seconds, the bike returned to normal, but at this point you have to leave. the grid As soon as possible. [So] we had to switch to a second machine because it was too dangerous to start with the error code.”

However, Fernandez’s problems did not end there. The spare bike is equipped with used tires, which add more challenges to the race. Fernandez said: “I had to change to the other bike, which uses tires, and because of that my race was almost over. I tried to stay in the race, but in the last five laps it was really difficult to manage the tires. No I can drive and I get into the box.”

Meanwhile, his teammate Miguel Oliveira faced his own battle, having to serve a long lap penalty and drop to 19th. Oliveira, however, showed determination to regain position and secure the final point in the penultimate round. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the weekend’s result, stressing the need for more time to optimize the bike’s performance.

Team leader Davide Brivio concluded: “We left Qatar knowing that we had the potential to do better than we did. Portugal will be a very important race for Miguel. Before that, we will check the everything happened here and we will try to improve. , do better.”

The chaos on the grid in Qatar therefore left Fernandez to explain the complexity of the “error code”, highlighting the challenges Trackhouse will face in the first round of the MotoGP season.