It had only been a few days into 2026 when Fermin Aldeguer crashed during a practice session at the Aspar Circuit in Valencia. The diagnosis was grim: a fractured left femur, requiring immediate surgery in Barcelona and a recovery period that was by no means short.
Determined to return to the grid as soon as possible, the Gresini Racing rider rolled up his sleeves and managed to get the green light from the MotoGP doctors for the inaugural Goiânia weekend.
“If I’m here, it means I’m okay. I remember the crash well, though I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment I broke my leg. I was braking and downshifting when I lost the rear and went high-side. It was bad, but anyway, I’m in Brazil and that’s good news. Now I’ll take it step by step, trying to regain confidence,” he said just moments after arriving at the Brazilian track.
Despite the serious injury, the Spaniard has shown remarkable resilience. “Given the abrasions and the type of fracture, I thought I’d be back more or less in Qatar; instead, after the first four weeks, I started thinking I might make it for the Brazilian race. I consider this a good opportunity because this is a new track for everyone, and even though we haven’t tested here, as I said, it’s a good chance. As for me, I’ll try to take it easy and enjoy it, ” he reflected, well aware that he is not yet in peak form.
“Right now, I struggle less on the bike than I do walking. We’ll have to see how it goes on a bigger, heavier bike with high speeds—one that’s completely different from the Panigale I used to regain confidence. This race will be a test for me, but the goal is to start as well as possible and fight for a top-10 finish or better,” he confessed, reflecting on the run-up to the race.
“On the Panigale, I felt good, at ease. At that point, I tried not to think about my leg or the crash, and it went well.” Clearly, given the physical challenges, his ambitions for the weekend have been scaled back. “Seeing the checkered flag is one of my goals. Tomorrow will be an important day to gauge how my body responds; from there, I can set further expectations,” he reiterated , downplaying the significance of the Qatar GP being postponed to November due to the well-known geopolitical issues affecting the Gulf countries
“The postponement didn’t cause me to speed up my return because I had already decided on it weeks earlier. Certainly, though, it will help me continue my recovery and train so that I arrive in Jerez at 100%,” concluded the 20-year-old.