MotoGP Assen Day 1: Raul Fernandez Bounces Back on Aprilia

Fernandez Finds His Rhythm at Assen

Raul Fernandez arrived at the TT Circuit Assen for MotoGP Day 1 with a point to prove. After a troubled outing at Brno left him feeling off his usual pace, the Aprilia rider came back strong in the Netherlands, finishing the opening day's running in second position. For Fernandez, the result was as much about confidence as it was about championship points.

"In Brno, I felt strange, but today I found myself again," Fernandez said, according to Paddock GP. The quote sums up the mood around his garage at Assen, where the turnaround in form was visible from early in the session.

The Spanish rider has been one of the more consistent performers in the Aprilia setup this season, but Brno had represented a clear dip. A weekend where the bike and rider simply did not click left the team searching for answers. Assen, with its long, flowing corners and smooth surface, appears to suit his riding style far better.

What Changed Between Brno and Assen

Fernandez did not go into granular technical detail, but his comments suggest a combination of setup adjustments and personal feel played into the recovery. Riders at the top level of MotoGP often talk about the physical and mental side of finding confidence in the bike, and Fernandez's language pointed squarely in that direction.

Asssen's circuit character is distinct from the stop-and-go demands that can trip up certain bike configurations. The Dutch venue rewards corner speed and commitment through mid-corner phases, areas where Fernandez has previously shown strength. That may explain why the Aprilia package clicked into place more readily here than it did a week earlier.

Second place at the end of Day 1 is not a guaranteed indicator of race pace, but it signals that Fernandez and his crew have moved in the right direction heading into qualifying and the race. The team will be looking to carry that momentum through the rest of the weekend.

Aprilia's Broader Picture at Assen

The result adds to what has been a solid stretch for Aprilia at select circuits in 2025. The manufacturer has continued to develop its RS-GP machine, and days like this at Assen show the potential when rider and bike are well matched to the track layout.

For Fernandez specifically, finishing second on Day 1 will do plenty for his mindset going into Saturday's qualifying sessions. Confidence is a tangible currency in MotoGP, and having shed the uncertainty that plagued him at Brno, he heads into the rest of the Dutch TT weekend in a much stronger headspace.

The rest of the field will now have to factor in a Fernandez who is back to feeling like himself, which, on his day, makes him a genuine threat at the front of the grid.