One MotoGP rider confirmed to Neil Hodgson’s he’s far from ‘overrated’ with Qatar Grand Prix heroics

Add as preferred source on Google

Marc Marquez claimed his sixth win of the 2025 MotoGP season in the Sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.

It was anticipated that his Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia would have the upper hand at the Qatar Grand Prix. The Italian has been strong in Lusail and displayed strong pace during practice on Friday.

However, Bagnaia crashed during Q2 and left himself starting P11 for the Sprint and main race. Marquez took advantage to take his seventh pole position of the season.

The Spanaird fended off an early challenge for brother Alex Marquez to win the Sprint by over 1.5 seconds. Franco Morbidelli locked out the podium in third – Ducati riders have finished in the top three at every race so far.

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo qualified on the front row for the first time since the 2022 Dutch GP. However, despite a commendable effort, he finished P5 behind Morbidelli and Fermin Aldeguer.

The latter overtook Quartararo at the final corner of the last lap to finish just off the podium. It marks the best result of his MotoGP career thus far.

Fermin Aldeguer proved to Neil Hodgson he is far from ‘overrated’ after Qatar Sprint display

Aldeguer had struggled to find performance prior to Qatar. After finishing P13 at the season opener in Thailand, the Spaniard failed to score points in Argentina and Austin.

The Gresini rider had been on course for a strong result at COTA before he crashed and retired from the race. Some people did not have high expectations for Aldeguer in MotoGP after he finished fifth in Moto2 in 2024.

However, his Sprint performance in Qatar proved to Neil Hodgson that he is far from ‘overrated.” Speaking on TNT Sports 2, the Brit says Aldeguer is a ‘super talent’ after narrowly missing out on his maiden MotoGP podium.

“Tell you what, Aldeguer is aggressive as well,” said Hodgson.

“A lot of people said: ‘Overrated, doesn’t deserve it.’ None of us by the way! Listen, he’s the real deal is Fermin Aldeguer, a super talent.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Fermin Aldeguer with his rise to MotoGP and height

Is Fermin Aldeguer capable of a podium in 2025?

Michael Laverty told Aldeguer to be ‘realistic’ about his rookie season after he appeared frustrated in COTA. However, his performance in Qatar proved he could be capable of a lot more.

The Spaniard has fought with and beaten some of MotoGP’s most experienced riders. He is relinshing being on the Desmosedici GP24 in 2025.

The bike won 16 out of 20 races last season and still proves to be a strong machine a year later. Gresini teammate Alex Marquez has shown that by finishing second in every race thus far.

Aldeguer came close to a podium in the Sprint, finishing less than half a second behind Morbidelli. A top three finish is clearly possible, and the 20-year-old is only getting stronger every race.