Aldeguer sidelined but always connected: 'He wants to know everything. His return? We're waiting for the doctors

Michele Masini, Gresini Racing team manager, also gave an update on Fermin Aldeguer, sidelined at home due to injury.

Clearly, what Alex Marquez did in Sepang brings smiles to the Gresini garage: these are only the first tests, but it’s an encouraging start for the morale of both rider and team. But eyes also turn to the empty side of the garage: when will Fermin Aldeguer return? It would have been very interesting to see the comparison between the two Spanish riders after the taste at the end of 2025, when Aldeguer had found his share of confidence to increasingly become a race protagonist. His 2026 debut, however, still has to wait...

At the end of the last day of testing, the question about one of the notable absentees on track was inevitable. Aldeguer himself had already suggested an initial hypothesis (Brazil GP or Austin) via video during the team presentation, and now team manager Michele Masini has added more. "We’ll know more after the doctors’ check-up in the next 3–4 days," he told motogp.com. "From there we can think about a real return date for Fermin in MotoGP. In my opinion, it’s fairly certain it will be in Brazil. He’s working hard for Buriram, but we need to assess the risks and the current condition of the bone. We’re waiting for the doctors’ verdict."

Despite being forced to stay away, Fermin Aldeguer is still ‘present.’ "We’re in contact every session," Masini said. "He wants to know everything; he keeps in touch with Frankie [Carchedi] to follow the Ducati engineers’ work... We miss him a lot. But we’re working for him too—we want him to be prepared when he comes back." It remains a heavy blow for Gresini Racing and for the Spanish rider himself, who after the super growth in the second half of 2025 was certainly eager to continue. The injury—specifically a fracture of the shaft of the left femur, we recall—came just before testing, thus disrupting his build-up to the 2026 MotoGP World Championship. We’ll see how much it weighs once he’s back in action.