Raul Fernandez withdraws from Australian GP weekend with fractured index finger
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 24, 2026
Fernandez withdraws
Raul Fernandez pulled out of the rest of the Australian Grand Prix weekend after pain from a fractured right index finger became too much following Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint at Phillip Island. The withdrawal ended a weekend that had started with promise, because Fernandez had qualified sixth and was set to start from the second row for Sunday’s 27-lap race. Instead, the defending Australian Grand Prix winner stepped aside after the sprint and shifted his focus to treatment. The injury first surfaced two weeks earlier at Mandalika, and it built into a setback that forced him out before the main race. For a rider who had put himself near the front of the grid, the weekend changed quickly from competition to recovery. Fernandez left Phillip Island without getting the chance to turn that strong qualifying run into a result. The finger problem became the deciding factor after he had already tried to carry on through the sprint.
Phillip Island braking
Fernandez described the challenge in straightforward terms. He had to use his pinky instead of the injured finger when braking, and Phillip Island made that adjustment harder than expected. Fernandez said the injury made the braking zones more difficult than he had anticipated. The strain showed up early enough to affect the sprint and then the rest of the weekend. MotoGP said the fracture was stable, but inflammation in the surrounding soft tissue left Fernandez unfit for the Malaysian Grand Prix next week at Sepang. The problem was more than the broken finger itself. Pain and inflammation in the hand combined to limit what he could do on the bike. That created a direct line from the injury in Mandalika to the problems at Phillip Island. Fernandez had the pace to earn a strong starting position, but the physical demands of the track changed the equation once the braking load piled up.
Sepang recovery
Fernandez will travel to Malaysia for further medical treatment, and he hopes to return to competition after that process. That is the next step after a weekend that ended before the Australian Grand Prix could play out fully for him. He said Sepang’s braking demands would be even greater. The immediate priority is recovery, not racing. He is dealing with pain from a fractured right index finger and the soft-tissue inflammation that followed it, and those issues left him unable to keep up with the demands of the weekend. The stable fracture offered some encouragement, but it did not change the fact that the injury affected his riding. Fernandez arrived at Phillip Island as the defending Australian Grand Prix winner and left with a reminder of how quickly an injury can alter a MotoGP weekend. The next step is treatment, then a check on whether he can get back on track after Malaysia.
