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MotoGP, Aldeguer: "They said Ducati would take the bike away from me, but I never had any doubts."

"I didn't care what people said, because Ducati believed in me. I am proud to be in Gresini and to take the place of my idol Marquez. I hope the GP25 is not an aeroplane, or we will have to make a GP24 Cup."

MotoGP: Aldeguer:

New year, new life: after racing for three and a half seasons in Moto2 riding a Boscoscoscuro, in 2025 Fermin Aldeguer will take the most important step of his career, debuting in MotoGP on one of the two Ducati GP24s fielded by the Gresini team. It's the realization of a dream for the 19-year-old from Murcia, who is ready to leave behind a 2024 quite different from what was expected at the beginning of the year.

"What grade do I give my season? A sufficiency, and by a miracle," Aldeguer said laughing in an interview granted to Mundo Deportivo. "There were very good moments, but also moments when I should have shown my maturity. Overall, I give myself a seven and a half. I was very competitive in general and I could give myself extra marks, but I have to be critical of the mistakes I made."

What prevented him from winning the title, despite starting out with all the odds stacked against him.

"What did I lack? Consistency. I was one of the fastest along with Ai Ogura and Aron Canet. Canet and I made a lot of mistakes, which gave Ogura a gap that was difficult to make up. The more you want to catch up, the more problems appear. I should have been a little calmer. I felt I had to show results because if Ducati had signed me there was a reason, but there was no pressure to move up to MotoGP," analyzed the Spanish rider, who precisely because of his performance was the subject of much criticism throughout the season.

"What was said was not good. When things were not going well for me, people said that Ducati would take the bike away from me. But, in a way, I didn't care, because Ducati for its part never said anything to me. On the contrary, they gave me a lot of confidence. I was calm because they believed in me and never gave me the slightest doubt," he commented.

Racing in the premier class with a new team will be a big change for Fermin, who is close to taking this step as early as 2024.

"During the 2023 Malaysian Grand Prix, Luca Marini made contact with Honda. At that time I was at my highest level and Pablo Nieto approached me opening the possibility of moving to MotoGP with them in 2024. We talked and negotiated, but it was very difficult to break my contract with Boscoscuro, which had already been automatically renewed," recalled the 19-year-old, also talking about the other options he had on the table: "Yamaha was very interested, because they wanted to have more bikes on the grid. When Pablo Nieto wanted me to race with his team, they were in talks with Yamaha. As a rider, I think it was a very good option. Then everything changed and in the end Pramac is the team that will have the Yamaha."

At the time of signing with Ducati, after all, the Murcian did not know which of Borgo Panigale's satellite teams would welcome him into its ranks.

"When they told me that in 2025 I would be in the Gresini box? When the agreement between Pramac and Yamaha became official. Until then I didn't know," he admitted, "When they made the deal, the only team with a free bike was Gresini. Now that I worked with them in the Barcelona test, I can say I am very proud and happy."

Taking Marc Marquez's place is no small responsibility, but the ingredients to do well seem to be all there.

"I have the best bike and a super-family team, which has welcomed me in an incredible way. I think together we can get great results. I hope Ducati doesn't bring out an aeroplane with the Desmosedici GP25, otherwise we'll have to do a Ducati GP24 Cup and the rest. I hope to do my best, to learn little by little and to be the best rookie," Fermin said, "What result would I be satisfied with at the end of the season? I always want more and I don't set limits for myself, but I also don't want to overdo it. For me, a Top 7 would be a very good result."

Speaking about his relationship with the Marquez brothers, he added, "With Alex I got along very well from the first moment. He is not as young as me, but he is still young. We can create a good bond, we have a similar riding style and being with him will allow me to learn. Marc was at his peak when I was growing up in the lower categories. For me he is a reference point, an idol. We trained together and now I will race against him, he will be one of my strongest rivals. I am very proud to take his place in Gresini. We are not friends and don't have a great relationship, but every time we talk I open my ears wide. In the test he was very attentive to the team and kept going through the box. Especially on Monday when we were preparing everything. He came two or three times and asked me how I was handling the nervousness. I asked him some questions to get some information and he gave it to me, helped me. Not on Tuesday, everyone did their job."

Among the various opponents he will measure himself against next year in MotoGP, Aldeguer will also find his old acquaintance Pedro Acosta.

"We are both where we wanted to be. I'm proud of him for everything he has achieved. I hope there is the same feeling from him, too, " he commented, "We have always been direct rivals, so it is difficult to maintain a relationship and put aside what happens on the track. That is, at least always in a polite way and without bad vibes, which is very important."

 

Translated by Julian Thomas

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