Raul Fernandez finished second in the Indonesian Grand Prix after discovering that the hand injury from Saturday’s sprint was more serious than he had first thought. The Trackhouse MotoGP rider had taken his first MotoGP pole position, but his participation in the main race became uncertain after colliding with Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap of the sprint.

Fernandez initially believed he had broken the finger he normally uses for braking. Before the race, however, he realised that two fingers were broken. He chose not to reveal the full extent of the injury, keeping the pain to himself while focusing on making the start from pole. His decision was followed by a second-place finish and a place on the podium.

A different way to brake

Trackhouse changed the position of the handlebars and made a small adjustment to the brake position to make riding possible. Fernandez could not use his index finger in the usual way, so he had to change the finger used for braking. The alteration affected more than the controls themselves: his braking references and the way he approached corners were both different from the rest of the weekend.

Fernandez described the situation as effectively starting from zero. When he first climbed onto the motorcycle before the race, the normal hand position was no longer workable. The team adjusted his hand position and brake position, after which he felt able to try the bike on track. The motorcycle itself felt good, but the familiar references for braking and corner entry had disappeared.

Despite the disruption, Fernandez led 18 of the race’s 27 laps before finishing second. The physical cost increased as the race progressed. He said that after 13 or 14 laps he was almost exhausted and in significant pain, while holding his hand in an unfamiliar position and trying not to make a mistake. Completing the race required him to manage the injury, the altered controls and a completely new braking reference throughout the Grand Prix.