After putting his best MotoGP result in the archives with a second place finish last weekend at the Red Bull Ring, Fermin Aldeguer will immediately have another chance to confirm himself in the fight at the top of the premier class. In fact, the return of MotoGP to Hungary will offer the Team Gresini rookie a good chance to aim for the podium again and perhaps even try to dream of victory at the Balaton Park track. The new addition to the MotoGP calendar, which Aldeguer has already had a chance to try out during a test with road bikes organized at the end of the summer break.
"I came here with all the other Ducati riders to ride the Panigale. The first impression was strange, as it was a new track that we had never seen before. But when you start to ride it becomes a familiar track, because the riding style adapts very quickly - we are MotoGP riders and we have to adapt our style to the situation each time. The test was very positive and I am happy to have reference points," said the young Spaniard at the press conference.
Asked what other circuits the Hungarian track resembles, Fermin said, "The braking might be a bit reminiscent of Austria, although the corners are a bit different because at the Red Bull Ring they are 90 degrees while here they have a bit more travel. It's hard to say which track it resembles. It's a bit of a mix and the first part of the track, which is fast, is maybe a bit reminiscent of the track in Indonesia."
Jorge Martin was the last rookie in 2021 to take a victory in his debut season in MotoGP. A goal that seems to be within reach for the 20-year-old from Murcia, after what he showed in the GP at Spielberg, and one that could materialize precisely on an unseen track like Balaton.
"I hope the victory will come soon. In Austria I was very close, but it's not my first goal - I want to keep learning. Each time I am closer and closer to the leaders, but there is still a lot of work to be done. For sure, this track will still be a good opportunity for a rookie rider, because we are all in the same condition and I arrive here after a good result, with a good mentality and some advantage from the test - noted the Team Gresini rider - Obviously you have to take advantage of the momentum of good moments like Austria and especially of the positive energy and good feelings that come with it, but you also have to keep calm."
Having had a chance to see all the riders in the Ducati ranks in action, Aldeguer was asked which one might be the one to beat this weekend. "I don't remember who was the fastest," he laughed - I wasn't focused on the times. It is also true that when you are on the track with your rivals you look at all the lap times, but with MotoGP it will be different. So we'll see what happens this weekend."
One of the issues to unravel this weekend will also be about the danger of the start and the first two corners at Balaton, which may be a critical point in the light of the maxi crash that occurred at the Superbike Round.
"When you have a first corner like the one here and a close and slow second one, it's definitely difficult to maintain position," the Ducati man noted, "It's important to stay in the first positions, to be more relaxed."
Going back to his performance at the Red Bull Ring, Fermin admitted that he experienced a kind of competitive trance, like the one Dani Pedrosa also talked about some time ago.
"Yes, when I told DAZN that I didn't even remember what happened, I was kind of referring to this feeling that everything came by itself," he explained, "I could overtake and push, everything that everything I did succeeded, so yes, I was kind of 'in the flow.'
The 20-year-old's fine showing did not leave indifferent even his teammate Alex Marquez, who reckoned that Fermin produced a sensational race, also dictated somewhat by the recklessness typical of a rookie.
"In Austin yes, in Austria everything was pretty much under control. I was in that state where everything was going my way, I never made a mistake at any time. Except in the overtaking attempt on Pedro, where I went a little long, it was an almost perfect race. Being a rookie, I don't have to think about championship, points, or anything else, but I had everything pretty much under control. It is clear that I still have to find the limit of the bike in some places, I still make mistakes. You learn something with every race, but it's also true that the experience I've gained in this first part of the season has been very quick, so I don't really have everything under control yet, but most things do," Aldeguer commented, before talking more specifically about his learning curve: "I think I need to take better advantage of the new tire, in situations like last race where I was starting from a good grid position, like sixth, and I should take advantage of the tires so I'm not ninth or tenth on the first lap. But I think it's just a matter of races. Sometimes I could have pushed myself more to the limit, but why lose a race on the first lap if I know I still have a lot to give? There are times when you have to show your teeth, but so far we haven't needed to because the goal is to keep learning and to do as many laps as possible with the bike; crashing on the first corner wouldn't do any good."