“Right now we have to make a difference, maintaining our winning mentality”
24/04/2020The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider talks about confinement and sends a message of thanks to all those who continue working during the pandemic.
Complying with the safety measures imposed by the government in Spain, Raul Fernandez has been staying indoors with his family in Madrid over the past month. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider is working daily to remain physically and mentally fit. The Spaniard explains how his training routine has been affected, talks about his relationship with the team in recent days and looks back at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Lockdown began a month ago in Spain. How are you coping?
“I’m finding it quite hard. The lockdown began just as we returned from Qatar and, at that time, with me having spent 15 days away from home, it was useful – because I wanted to rest and spend time with my family. However, now that a few weeks have passed, it is more difficult to maintain the same level of concentration, desire and motivation. But we have to make a difference whilst maintaining our winning mentality. Keeping up a routine in which I train every day helps me a lot.”
Without leaving home, how do you train and stay fit?
“Diet is the part that is hardest for me, since it is very strict. Spending so many days at home, it becomes very hard to stick to it 100%. However, fitness training is going well. Despite not having a stationary bike or roller at home, I get by with the equipment I have here. I divide my training into three sections and I get two hours a day, approximately. It’s not bad at all for exercises that I’m not normally used to doing.”
Besides continuing to exercise, what is keeping you entertained? Have you taken back up any old hobby or discovered a new passion?
“Like many people, I’m playing PlayStation. Right now, it is the only possibility we have of ‘riding.’ I had gone two or three years without switch it on. But now, for example, I do online races with my brother and, in addition to having fun, it makes it more enjoyable.”
“We all can’t wait for the World Championship to come back, and I like that there is this ambition to be able to keep racing.”
Before the lockdown you had preseason and a first Grand Prix with your team. How are you adapting?
“I have felt very welcomed, right from the beginning and, although the first test was quite tough, this is a very ‘family-like’ team – and that is something very important to me. I feel that we are close and I consider myself lucky to be with the group of people with whom I share a box. I love how we work, how we have handled the difficult moments. The first race, in Qatar, the result was not what we had hoped, but what matters is the progression we made during the weekend, which was incredible. Overall, I am very happy.”
Do you have any kind of contact with the team now?
“I try not to pick up my phone too much, as I feel that it is very toxic. But, when I do use it, I do talk to them. We all can’t wait for the World Championship to come back and I like that there is this ambition to be able to keep racing.”
Finally, what message do you want to send to people at home and, above all, to those who are working every day to combat the pandemic?
“Above all, thank you to the healthcare workers and all those who are working every day, because it is not easy. For those people who leave their houses and, when they return, worry about their relatives, it is hard. I also want to show my appreciation to the people who are housebound, especially young children. If we continue like this, in a little while we will be able to have races again.”