Luigi Dall’Igna must call off his plan to sign ‘scared’ rider because he still isn’t Ducati level

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A number of names have cropped up as a potential replacement for Francesco Bagnaia amid the division between the Italian rider and his factory Ducati team, but Luigi Dall’Igna needs to be wary of signing one rider who isn’t on the same level as the championship-winning line-up they currently house.

Bagnaia was furious with Ducati following the ‘unacceptable’ performance of his GP25 at the recent Grand Prix of Indonesia.

The 28-year-old has been linked with an exit from the team since his woes started at the beginning of the current term.

He has struggled massively with adapting to the current spec of bike that has been an integral part of Marc Marquez’s dominance.

VR46 seems like the only option for Bagnaia if he does call time on his current tenure at the factory Ducati team, with Fermin Aldeguer emerging as the prime candidate to replace the two-time MotoGP champion following his maiden win in Mandalika.

However, the 20-year-old may not be up to the standards of the Borgo Panigale-based squad just yet.

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

Fermin Aldeguer isn’t at the level that Ducati demand of their factory riders

The Gresini rider’s debut season in the sport has been impressive, but he hasn’t been able to consistently show glimpses of the sort of talent that Ducati demand of their factory riders.

When looking at the maiden season of another bright talent in the premier class, Pedro Acosta, the Gresini rider’s rookie season isn’t actually that impressive.

Acosta finished sixth in the riders’ standings, tallying up five podiums on sub-par KTM machinery.

The Spaniard has impressed again this season, splitting the riders in the Ducati stable and currently sitting fifth in the standings and ahead of Aldeguer, who is currently riding the world-beating bike of last year in the GP24.

The only stat Aldeguer holds over Acosta is the maiden win at Mandalika recently.

However, Aldeguer got extremely lucky with first-lap incidents during the Grand Prix of Indonesia, with the opening lap of the Grand Prix seeing two of the most likely winners of the race in Marco Bezzecchi and Marquez crash out.

After news broke that Alex Marquez would be receiving a factory bike from the Italian constructor next year, it emerged that Ducati had backed out of a commitment to Aldeguer, which would have seen the Murcian receive a factory bike in his sophomore premier class campaign.

The move is said to be in response to the younger Marquez’s impressive performances in the current campaign, which currently sees him occupy the second spot in the riders’ standings, but there must have been more factors in play for the team to make a U-turn on a prior formal agreement with the 20-year-old.

Aldeguer noted that he isn’t ready for a factory Ducati ride, which can be seen as a worrying statement given his occupation.

In such a dog-eat-dog sport, you must have a sort of killer instinct to cement yourself as one of the greats in the sport, and offering yourself as someone who isn’t ready for the most competitive seat in the sport is a damning verdict.

Adding to that, Aldeguer previously highlighted how ‘scared’ he was at the prospect of racing at the iconic Mugello circuit.

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

Fermin Aldeguer will struggle to feel the same ‘harmony’ with the GP25 as he does with the GP24

With the satellite riders in the Ducati stable likely to be moving up to the GP25 next season, it’s highly likely that Aldeguer will experience the same issues as Bagnaia has during the current term.

During an interview with Motorbike Magazine, the 20-year-old noted that it took him a while to get to grips with the GP24 after his first shakedowns, saying, “During the shakedown and the official Malaysia test, honestly, the sensations were very good.

“But it was a very big, wide track that allows you to make a lot of mistakes, and not all the riders were at their maximum level yet, where they really push. So, it was a bit of a lie, the good sensations. I thought I was already in control of the bike, but it was a complete lie.

“When I went to Thailand, it cost me a lot, and then it cost me in Argentina as well. It wasn’t until the third race in Austin, after a sprint that went well and a long race where I was making up positions and finding a good pace, that I really started to feel in tune with the bike.”

The GP24 was previously hailed as one of the most rideable bikes on the grid, which certainly doesn’t bode well for Aldeguer, given that the notorious GP25 awaits him on the horizon.