Marco Bezzecchi
Fermin Aldeguer secured a top-eight finish and Rookie of the Year honours during his debut MotoGP campaign.
Although the Spaniard took a bit of time to get up to speed, Gresini kept their faith in him throughout the season, and he came good.
Aldeguer finally secured his first win in Indonesia after finishing second in the sprint. Marc Marquez’s unfortunate injury handed him a lucky break in Mandalika.
With a year to judge him on, Ducati will be pleased with the progress that he has made this year. It’s hard to tell whether he’s of the same calibre as Pedro Acosta just yet, but he has plenty of raw talent.
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Aldeguer must ‘learn’ to ride fast with normal tyres in the future, after struggling to make an impact when Michelin brought their usual rubber to races.
After going through plenty of scenarios in 2025, Aldeguer doesn’t feel ready to win a title, despite having the machinery to do so. He knows that there is a lot of development ahead.
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Marc Marquez calmed Fermin Aldeguer down after a difficult start to his rookie Moto2 season
Aldeguer is targeting top-five finishes in 2026 as frequently as he can achieve them. He knows that will put him on Ducati’s radar for a factory seat.
That could be alongside Marc Marquez, if he ends up working out a renewal with the Italian manufacturer.
The two already have a bond, with the seven-time champion having watched over him closely when he started in Moto2. The advice Marquez gave, Aldeguer still remembers to this day.
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“What I remember most is what he told me in 2022 when I got my first pole position in Argentina,” he told Marca. “He was injured, he was at home, he wasn’t there, and he came about three races later.
“In my case, it was a time when I was riding really well, but I wasn’t getting good results. First, I was taken out, then Dixon took me out, and things weren’t going my way. Then Marc told me: ‘Calm down, it will come. You’re fast, and you have talent. Calm down, it will come,’ he kept repeating.
“I don’t know if Marc remembers that. I remember he took me aside and said it, and I didn’t even answer him. It was my first year in the World Championship, and for him to come up to me and say that surprised and impacted me a lot.”
READ MORE: Fermin Aldeguer explains why he ‘deserved’ a factory Ducati bike after Alex Marquez got one instead
Why does Fermin Aldeguer have a strong chance of earning a factory Ducati seat?
Luigi Dall’Igna thinks Aldeguer will ride for Ducati ‘one day’ and is a big admirer of his skillset. He has been watching his career with excitement.
To have someone as significant as him backing his career is massive for Aldeguer. The effect of that cannot be understated.
Unfortunately, teammate Alex Marquez was picked to have a factory bike in 2026 instead of him, which is a shame.
But the younger Marquez brother earned it with some super performances in 2025. He was clearly the second-fastest rider over the course of the season.
Aldeguer will have to cope with a modified GP25 and hope that it ends up behaving better than the bike did in the hands of Fabio Di Giannantonio or Francesco Bagnaia this year.
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