Fermin Aldeguer: '2025 Ducati a handicap, factory…

Fermin Aldeguer feels not having the latest Ducati GP26 is a handicap after finishing a distant 11th in the Czech Grand Prix sprint.

It has not been an easy sophomore year in MotoGP for Gresini youngster Aldeguer so far.

The Spaniard, who finished as the best MotoGP rookie last year and scored his maiden premier class win in Indonesia, suffered a serious injury to his left leg during training and must endure the pain and an evident limp until the end of the year, when he can undergo surgery and have the 30-centimetre nail that holds his leg removed.

Despite everything, Aldeguer was positive when he arrived in Brno on Thursday, assuring that it was the weekend in which he felt best of the entire season. However, he wasn't quite so satisfied after Saturday's sprint race.

"I'm fine," he said ironically. "The key is to start at the front. In Q2, I didn't feel good with the front tyre and I kept it for the whole session, and starting 11th on the grid and, on top of that, getting a bad start, is very difficult. We managed to reach eighth place, through some overtakes and some crashes, but the pace in the middle of the race was good, like that of the riders running at the front. So we have to keep that.

"The key for tomorrow is to start well on the grid, that and the medium tyre. If I stay calm, we can have a good race. The potential was to be in the top five; in FP2 I was fourth, but in Q2 we messed it up. We have to keep going like this and see how far we can get."

In 2025, the year-old GP24 was often cited as a better bike than Ducati's latest machine. This year, however, it seems evident that Aldeguer's GP25 is worse than the factory-spec bike raced by four of six Ducati riders.

Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini Racing (Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images)

Aldeguer should have received the latest-spec GP26 this year as part of his original contract with Ducati, but ultimately he ended up on year-old machinery.

"We know the difference is there. Not having a factory bike makes things more complicated for you, but it is what we have right now," he said.

"I don't even look at the other bike that is the same as mine anymore, Franco Morbidelli's. I only try to give the best of myself and try to be as close as I can to the front runners. That's all I have left."

He added: "Riding last year's bike is a handicap, that's clear, but I don't have any other option, that's it," he tried to cut off the subject before being pressed on where the difference lies.

"They have helped me by changing the aerodynamics; that has made it a bit more similar to last year's bike (when he was riding the GP24), and the truth is that I am recovering the feeling and being more competitive.

"But the truth is that the factory riders always have an extra edge that makes things easier for them."