Francesco Bagnaia endured an abject Sprint race at the Indonesian Grand Prix on Saturday. And at the very same time, one of the contenders for his Ducati seat shone.
Ducati heralded a long-awaited breakthrough for Bagnaia in Japan as he scored maximum points on a dominant weekend. But less than a week later, he finished last at Mandalika.
Bagnaia finished almost 30 seconds adrift of winner Marco Bezzecchi, and 13 seconds behind Alex Rins, the next bike up the road. The mitigation is that Ducati are generally struggling this weekend, with the penalised world champion Marc Marquez only seventh.
But Bagnaia’s relationship with his team is under strain amid a strange dispute over last month’s Misano test, with Ducati refusing to corroborate VR46’s admission that rider #63 tested last year’s bike.
Bagnaia was nearly in tears during what seemed like a transformative weekend, but now his mood has deteriorated.
Michael Laverty has ‘no doubt’ Fermin Aldeguer will race for Ducati factory team
At the front of the grid, Gresini rider Fermin Aldeguer came agonisingly close to a first MotoGP win of any description. Aldeguer capitalised on Marco Bezzecchi’s poor start to snatch the lead at the start of the Sprint and build a healthy advantage.
But Bezzecchi, who torched the field in qualifying, made his way back up the order and caught Aldeguer in a thrilling conclusion. In the end, the rookie had to settle for second, though this still represented his best finish in a Sprint.
It was a seminal performance from Aldeguer, who’s contracted to Ducati. He has significantly strengthened his case to be considered for a 2027 factory seat.
Teammate Alex Marquez will ride a factory bike next year, but as this season has demonstrated, sticking with the older specification won’t necessarily be a disadvantage.
“I’m glad he’s learned to smile when you’re faced with the adversity of losing a victory,” Michael Laverty said on TNT Sports. “I think he’ll take a lot from it.
“He got a fantastic start – it’s the first time he’s led a MotoGP race. He set such a good rhythm. He’s maturing all the time. He’s got such a good team around him, Gresini are a quality squad, he’s got Frankie Carchedi in his corner.
“He’s going from strength to strength. As a rookie, Ducati picked him out and placed him in that team, and he has a bright future in [a] factory Ducati livery, no doubt about that.”
Frankie Carchedi reacts to Fermin Aldeguer’s Indonesian Grand Prix performance
Crew chief Frankie Carchedi called Aldeguer’s performance ‘fantastic’, marvelling at his pace. He feels the youngster will benefit from the ‘experience’ despite the late heartbreak.
“Fantastic day,” he wrote. “First experience leading a race! Qualifying pace in the sprint today.”
Marquez plans to sign a new contract at Ducati, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if that’s the first deal announced next year. Luigi Dall’Igna may then delay his decision over the other seat.
Aldeguer has slightly lacked consistency this year, but if he can ride at this level more often, he could put Bagnaia under significant pressure.
Dall’Igna has already said that Aldeguer will ride for Ducati ‘sooner or later’. Could it be as soon as 2027?
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