Let's talk MotoGP: Not everything has been said about Fermin Aldeguer, here's what you need to know

It's time for the season debrief. As every winter for the past two years, this column analyzes each rider's campaign in detail, from the lowest-ranked to the world champion. The aim is to provide a reasoned perspective on the performance of each of our heroes, so we can all discuss it together. Are you ready for this new installment, dedicated to Fermin Aldeguer? Let's go!

Yesterday's episode was dedicated to Fabio Quartararo; you can find it by clicking here.

 

A very good rookie

 

I realize that this article about Fermin Aldeguer might surprise youBefore getting to what might upset you, let's start by warmly congratulating him on his first season in the premier class. Having joined Gresini Racing after a mediocre 2024 season in Moto2, Fermin Aldeguer was under a lot of pressure making the leap to the big leagues. Ducati had signed him (not Gresini, but the parent company) based on a few Grands Prix at the end of 2023, a rather unusual situation.

 

 

It was a bit of a long shot, and in the end, it paid off. Yes, it paid off because, even if his ranking isn't anything extraordinary – we'll come back to that – he still had some incredible moments this season, notably a dominant victory in Indonesia. This makes him a winning rookie, which is not so frequent, but strangely not so rare either, on a historical scale.

I really liked her strength of character, her comebacks which show unwavering resilience, but also her character. Facing the cameras, he is relaxed, ready to take on any challengeYes, he was a very good rookie, no doubt about it, but let's gently begin the part of the article that may contradict this analysis.

 

Fermin Aldeguer, really so incredible?

 

Fermin Aldeguer won everyone over in 2025. Judging by the comments, I get the strong impression that many see him as a future superstar, perhaps even a title contender in a few years. In my opinion, nothing we've seen so far supports such a claim, although I wouldn't dare question his undeniable and very impressive talent.

The sadness of Ai Ogura's season has somewhat skewed the debate, so much so that we see many people getting excited about Aldeguer. But let me remind you of a few points.

Firstly, Aldeguer arrived in the best team MotoGP currently, with one of the best motorcycles in the history of the sport. Just look at Alex Marquez's performances to be convinced. he who went from being a disappointing driver (I stand by that) in 2023 and 2024 to a contender for victory every weekendGresini, which has imposed every driver since becoming independent in early 2022, is an institution that makes the most of its capabilities.

Secondly, it is not " that Eighth in the overall standings. So, yes, it's a good ranking for a MotoGP rider, and even more so for a rookie, but it's far from exceptional in the truest sense of the word. In fact, without imagining he could win a race, I had predicted he'd finish ninth at the end of the year, well ahead of Ai Ogura. This proves that it wasn't entirely unimaginable, unattainable. If we look at recent history, he had a less successful first season than Peter Acosta, George Martin, fabio quartararo, Johann zarco, Brad Binder (once brought back to the equipment), and, get this, Jonas Folger, tenth in 2017 after missing five races. I don't want to overshadow Aldeguer's achievement, because succeeding at the highest level is still rare, but simply to remind you that you shouldn't necessarily get carried away at the risk of being disappointed.

 

 

Thirdly, his achievements. He was incredible in Indonesia, that's true, but a bit like Bezzecchi was in India in 2023 or Oliveira in Portugal in 2020, if I make myself clear.For some reason, nobody could catch him; he was in a class of his own, as if he'd found the perfect setup for this circuit. I'm not saying it was a circumstantial victory, because he would have dominated anyone, even Marc Marquez, but simply that it's not representative. If he had won the following races by eight seconds in dry conditions, I wouldn't have had any complaints, but that wasn't the case.

Fourth, it still has significant weaknesses, or, let's say, areas for improvement to be explored, and that's perfectly normal. Firstly, its consistency in performance, extremely randomHe was certainly one of the most inconsistent this season, sometimes dropping from the podium to 14th place in the following GP. He didn't crash often, which is a good thing, but the lack of consistency is a major drawback when competing for a title these days. You have to be good all the time. Lately, his style. On too many occasions, he made contact with another rider, exaggerating his overtaking maneuvers, like Brad Binder or Alex Marquez: Move aside or we'll both crash ».

Two come to mind. First, in the United States, where he was heading for fourth place before crashing. His overtaking maneuver on Miller was very aggressive, and if the Australian hadn't recovered, a crash would have been inevitable. The second example occurred in Austria, where, during his climb back to second place, he made several very tense block passes..

 

Conclusion

 

The purpose of this article was not to make you believe that I hate Aldeguer, or that I think he is not a good pilot. On the contrary, I actually quite like itSimply put, I find it odd that many people dare to question Acosta's first season in 2024, given that he didn't win in his debut year. However, Acosta's campaign was completely different; you can't judge a rookie season solely on the basis of victories. Aldeguer has what it takes to climb the ranks to the title. I have no doubt about thatBut please, give him time to develop, to hone his skills, before declaring him the successor, because that will create, within you, a feeling of frustration if it doesn't explode soon.

What are your thoughts on Fermin Aldeguer? Do you see him as a future star? Tell me in the comments!

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport