Fermin Aldeguer: “Everything is incredible”, ride height device from first lap
“This is the target [top rookie], but we have to stay calm and go step by step"
Among the many changes for 2025 MotoGP rookie Fermin Aldeguer faced on his premier-class debut at the Barcelona test was operating the ride-height device on his Gresini Ducati.
Lowering the rear on the exit of some slow corners is a unique feature of premier-class technology.
“I started to use it from the first lap because I said, ‘I have to be automatic with this thing’,” Aldeguer explained.
“The first run was crazy because sometimes, I put it, but I didn't unlock it[by braking hard enough]. So I was in the third corner with the bike [still down]!
“But I used it in all laps and, in the end, I finished good.”
Aldeguer, who dominated the end of the 2023 Moto2 season but won only three races this year, finished the test as the fastest rookie, in 20th place and 1.761s from new team-mate Alex Marquez.
“This is the target [to be top rookie], but we have to stay calm and then go step by step,” said the teenager, who has slotted into the ex-Marc Marquez side of the Gresini garage, run by Frankie Carchedi.
In addition to the ride height device, Aldeguer had Michelin tyres and carbon brakes to adapt to during his 58 laps on the title-winning GP24.
“Today was very good because I feel incredible with the bike from the first lap,” he said.
“Everything is incredible - the acceleration, the speed, but I think the most important was the brake point. It’s amazing, you can brake so late and still stop the bike. Understanding this on the first laps was difficult.
“The tyres are completely different [from Pirelli in Moto2] but it’s hard to say exactly where because also the bike is different.
“But Michelin have asymmetric tyres, you feel this and can push on the left side. But maybe it's a little bit cold and I lost the front [crashed once] so I need more laps to understand.
“I have to work a little bit more on my style with the bike. I think it's not time to think about the settings yet, we will see what’s happening in Sepang.
“But the Ducati staff and my team were happy.”
Like fellow newcomers Somkiat Chantra and Ai Ogura, Aldeguer also knows he needs to hit the gym over the winter.
“I feel good with my physical condition, only a little bit of arm pump and the surgery on my hand, but for sure I have work to do for a long race,” he said.
All three rookies will be eligible to take part in the Sepang shakedown test, which starts on January 31, ahead of the official test.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
