Fermin Aldeguer admits where Gresini rookie must improve ‘a little’ ahead of MotoGP debut

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Fermin Aldeguer will be the only teenager on the MotoGP grid in 2025, as the rookie Gresini rider gets his premier class debut after signing a factory contract with Ducati.

The Borgo Panigale squad took a liking to the 19-year-old after showing a lot of potential in Moto2. Now, Aldeguer will get his chance to show Ducati were right to offer the Spaniard a two-year factory contract and place him at Gresini after they also promoted Marc Marquez.

Aldeguer is one of three rookies on the 2025 MotoGP grid with LCR recruit Somkiat Chantra, who has a factory Honda contract, and Trackhouse Racing pilot Ai Ogura, who won the 2024 Moto2 title. Gresini new boy Aldeguer was fifth in the Moto2 standings, 92 points off Ogura.

Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer is working on improving his braking in MotoGP

Consistency often escaped Aldeguer on the back of Ducati putting the Bologna Bullets’ faith in the Murcia native early in the 2024 Moto2 campaign. He put pen to paper in March after the first of 20 rounds but then scored an average finishing position of P6.2 in his 14 finishes.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Gresini from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Yet it is not consistency where Aldeguer feels he must improve ‘a little’ and instead believes the Gresini rookie must work on better understanding how to maximise the rear brake on a MotoGP bike ahead of his debut. Understanding the rear brake is vital for controlling a bike.

“MotoGP and the races are more difficult,” Aldeguer said, via AS. “We do more laps, always pushing at 100%. But I have not changed many things in my physical preparation because I already had a good base, a good level.

“I have only worked a little more on the bike to use the rear brake a little more, the position. I am happy with my current level. We can do a good job.”

Fermin Aldeguer must utilise pre-season before his MotoGP debut in Buriram

Aldeguer has already sampled MotoGP machinery after stepping into the Gresini garage for the post-season Barcelona Test in November. He was also the fastest of 2025’s rookies by posting the 20th-fastest lap, 1.761 seconds behind Gresini teammate Alex Marquez in P1.

His next chance to try the Ducati Desmosedici GP24 that Aldeguer will race for Gresini is the Shakedown Test at the Sepang International Circuit. The test for rookies and test riders, plus riders only for manufacturers in concessions Rank D, will run from January 31 to February 2.

As a rookie, Aldeguer will have three official pre-season tests to try and get up to speed with the year-old Ducati bike he will race for Gresini ahead of the MotoGP season-opening Grand Prix of Thailand in Buriram on March 2. Aldeguer crashed on the first lap in Buriram in 2024.