Marco Bezzecchi
Fermin Aldeguer is the latest rider to win the MotoGP Rookie of the Year award after producing a debut season with Gresini in 2025 that caught the eye of Ducati’s bosses.
Ducati took what some considered to be a risk in March 2024 when they signed Aldeguer to a multi-year factory MotoGP contract. But the Borgo Panigale crew would not come to have any regrets about backing the Spaniard to move up from Moto2 racing with Gresini in 2025.
Many questioned Aldeguer’s graduation to MotoGP ahead of his debut, having produced an up-and-down Moto2 season on the back of signing his contract for Ducati. But the 20-year-old soon silenced his critics, and his form did not go amiss with the chiefs in Borgo Panigale.
Gresini even saw Aldeguer become the first rider to win a Grand Prix in their rookie MotoGP season since Jorge Martin in 2021. Aldeguer won the Indonesian Grand Prix in October after mastering Mandalika, as he also became the second-youngest MotoGP race winner thus far.
Fermin Aldeguer had a better 2025 MotoGP season than Pedro Acosta, prove me wrong
Ducati feel Fermin Aldeguer performed ‘splendidly’ in direct comparison with Pedro Acosta
Aldeguer’s Indonesian GP victory was only part of the reason why Ducati are now giving the Murcian the ‘greatest recognition’. According to SPEEDWEEK, the Bologna Bullets were very impressed by Aldeguer’s rookie season and especially how he compared with Pedro Acosta.
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Ducati feel Aldeguer performed ‘splendidly’ in direct comparison with KTM rider and fellow Murcian Acosta during his first term in MotoGP. Aldeguer’s performances on a Desmosedici GP24 compared to Acosta’s on the KTM RC16 even sparked ‘grins’ among the Ducati camp.
Aldeguer’s efforts across the French Grand Prix and Indonesian GP weekends compared to Acosta’s performances at Le Mans and Mandalika particularly stood out to Ducati. He took his first premier class podium in the French GP with P3, and he also sealed P3 in the Sprint.
Ducati admire how Aldeguer held off Acosta to secure P3 in the rain at Le Mans and how he later ran away to win at Mandalika. Aldeguer took the lead of the Indonesian GP away from Acosta at Turn 10 and immediately pulled clear, and would ultimately win by 6.987 seconds.
Fermin Aldeguer has a MotoGP Grand Prix win over fellow Murcian Pedro Acosta
Acosta had no response for Aldeguer’s pace aboard the Gresini rider’s Ducati GP24 around Mandalika, as he had to instead focus on retaining P2 given the KTM RC16’s deficiencies at the Indonesian GP. Acosta in P4 also finished the French GP 3.099s behind Aldeguer in P3.
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Aldeguer even had Acosta covered for pace when he scored his maiden MotoGP podium in the wet-dry French GP. His rostrum at Le Mans also meant Aldeguer reached the podium in fewer races than Acosta needed in 2025, as the KTM pilot took his first podium in round 12.
Acosta, who won the MotoGP Rookie of the Year award in 2024, took fewer races to secure a premier class podium in his first season with Tech3 after only needing two, with P3 in the 2024 Portuguese Grand Prix. Acosta even finished last season sixth in the riders’ standings.
KTM promoted Acosta into their factory line-up in 2025 after he scored 215 points and five Grand Prix podiums as a rookie with Tech3. While Aldeguer scored 214 points and only got three podiums, he holds having a MotoGP win over Acosta despite entering 19 fewer races.
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