Luigi Dall’Igna and Johann Zarco agree on ‘wild’ MotoGP struggler after Americas Grand Prix

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Alex Marquez is the surprise leader of the MotoGP world championship after last weekend’s Americas Grand Prix. Brother Marc Marquez had been in command after maintaining a 100% record, but he crashed out.

Marquez Jr is yet to win this season, with Francesco Bagnaia inheriting the victory in Austin after passing the Spaniard. But he’s been rewarded for his impressive consistency, having finished second in every meaningful event so far.

The table below shows the gaps between teammates after three rounds. While it inevitably skews in favour of the big scorers, it’s still grim reading for Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer.

One of Aldeguer’s fellow rookies, Somkiat Chantra, is still yet to score, while LCR teammate Johann Zarco has amassed 25 points. By contrast, last year’s Moto2 champion Ai Ogura is outclassing Raul Fernandez at Trackhouse.

The closest teammates are KTM pair Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta, continuing the theme of last season. Both riders retired from Sunday’s race, Binder through a technical fault and Acosta because of a crash.

Luigi Dall’Igna reassures unhappy Fermin Aldeguer after Americas Grand Prix crash

Crew chief Frankie Carchedi has compared Aldeguer to Marc Marquez, his Gresini predecessor, after looking at his data. And the Spaniard started to display his potential in Austin.

Having started 12th, Aldeguer was on for a top-six finish after battles with Acosta and Zarco. But as he hunted down Jack Miller, he fell and was forced to retire.

Aldeguer was showing formidable speed, but he was perhaps guilty of pushing a little too hard. The DNF leaves him with just three points on the board.

But speaking via Motorsport Espana, Ducati boss Luigi Dall’Igna tried to reassure the teenager. He’ll inevitably be frustrated, but he showed ‘magnificent’ speed.

“Aldeguer is a rider we chose, one we’ve been following for a long time, so I’m happy to see him happy on the bike,” Dall’Igna said.

“I’m sorry, however, that he crashed with two laps to go because, although his performance was magnificent, in the end, points are necessary. Then, when he looks at the standings and sees himself behind, he certainly won’t be happy.

“So for his morale, it would have been better to finish at the end, but I think he still had a great race, and I’m happy he’s with us.”

Johann Zarco’s Fermin Aldeguer verdict after losing out in Americas GP battle

All of Aldeguer’s points came on his debut at the Thailand GP, where he finished 13th. He then received a long-lap penalty in Argentina after an incident with Miguel Oliveira.

In his defence, the conditions in Texas caught out some of the most experienced riders on the grid, including Zarco and six-time MotoGP champion Marquez.

“I couldn’t keep up with Bezzecchi, and Aldeguer’s pace was too wild for me,” the French LCR rider said, via Speedweek.

Michael Laverty has told Aldegur to be ‘realistic’ after hearing him express a desire to fight at the front. He thinks a ‘patient’ approach could be rewarded later in the season.