Let's Talk MotoGP: The pressure is enormous for this rider

The 2025 season is fast approaching! Until February 27, the day before the opening round in Thailand, Let's talk MotoGP will focus on each of the riders entered in the premier class. We will discuss the anticipation they generate, their abilities, and, finally, give a little prediction. Today, it is time to talk about the future of Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini rider in MotoGP, and for whom the pressure is higher than ever.

Yesterday we returned to the case of Miguel Oliveira in an article that I invite you to find by clicking here.

 

Better than Acosta?

 

This is probably the driver for which I have the least certainty.. Signed by Ducati before the start of the 2024 season, he leaves no one indifferent. But who is he and how did he find himself in this position in such a short time? Fermin is a young 19-year-old Spaniard, crowned in CEV Moto2 in the 2018 season. He has never raced in Moto3; having only known the intermediate category in the world. Aldeguer arrived via MotoE at the beginning of 2021, which is equally strange, but quickly joined the Speed ​​Up – Boscoscuro team in Moto2. In 2022 he started to accelerate, but without breaking the bank: he had only recorded two pole positions. No victory, not even a podium. Then came this 2023 season, which he started discreetly, in line with 2022. He was consistent, quite fast too, and won for the first time at Silverstone. So far, nothing transcendent. But at the end of the year, he moved into another dimension.

 

 

Very fast in Indonesia and Australia – where he took pole –, Fermin won the last four races, leaving Pedro Acosta and company behind. A real demonstration, which had never been done before. Clearly, the genius of Aldeguer, always on Boscoscuro – against the high-performance Kalex –, was more than identified. Due to his precocity and the gap he put on his pursuers (Acosta took seven seconds at Sepang), the teams MotoGP began to take an interest in him, based on these four races.

It was Ducati who drew first, but extremely early.. As early as the end of 2023, rumors were sending him to a team equipped with a Desmosedici for the 2025 season; which was confirmed a few months later. It's rare these days, but Aledeguer entered the 2024 season with a future already assured at the highest level. This could turn out to be the deal of the century if it works out., but it must be admitted that his signing had raised doubts, even after this series of consecutive victories. In living memory, I had never seen a rider sure of being promoted to MotoGP from such a small sample, however good he was during this period.

 

The soufflé has fallen

 

After such an introduction, you probably expect me to tell you that equipped with the best chassis in Moto2, he crushed the year, leaving only crumbs to his competitors. Why not! Aldeguer disappointed more than he convinced. So, yes, we were able to see his speed and his genius, but on too rare occasions. He finished the season in fifth place in the general classification, far, far behind champion Ai Ogura who was thought to be less talented given his failure in 2022. Aldeguer won three times, for three pole positions. Also, he sometimes fell at critical moments, without anyone being able to explain it. In any case, it had little to do with this end of 2023. Personally, I much preferred Canet, and even Sergio Garcia in the 2024 season. No matter, here he is now in MotoGP, and in one of the best teams on the plateau, what's more.

 

The prognosis

 

 

Reading these lines, you have probably understood that predicting his year will be particularly difficult. On the one hand, he is talented, that is undeniable, and he arrives at Gresini, a team that has imposed all its riders since its association with Ducati at the beginning of 2022 (only Alex Marquez has not won a Grand Prix, but two Sprints). Ai Ogura finished ahead of him in 2024, granted, but I can't help but think about this awesome end of 2023. On the other hand, I readily acknowledge that this period was extremely short, and that it is starting to go back up. It would be a lie to say that I did not expect more in 2024, like many of you I imagine.

It's time to get wet. I think, at first, he'll adapt quite well to the Ducati. This is the best bike on the grid and the team he is part of is perfect to start with. On the other hand, I don't think he can do better than Alex Marquez in his first year. I see Fermin shining once or twice, especially on Saturday in qualifying. Afterwards, for consistency, nothing is less certain, because he has not shown particularly impressive skills in this area up to now. This analysis leads me to imagine him finishing 2025 between the 8th and 10th position in the general classification, in the battle with Franco Morbidelli for the place of the weakest Ducati rider.

This is a pretty bold prediction, because by my logic it would put him ahead Maverick Vinales, and at the level of bastianini and other Quarterly. Despite the pressure on his shoulders – everyone will have their eyes fixed on Fermin because of his atypical career – I believe in his talent. An intuition that could very well turn out to be wrong, by the way.

What do you imagine for the unpredictable Fermin Aldeguer in 2025? 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