Gresini loses Alex Marquez and welcomes Aldeguer back: Lecuona will also race in Qatar

The Spanish rider has been cleared to race at Lusail, where Lecuona will replace Marquez Jr.

BK8 Gresini Racing is making another change to its lineup ahead of next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix. Alex Marquez will be absent following recent surgery on his right shoulder and left hand. The 2025 MotoGP world championship runner-up is aiming to return to action in Portimao (November 20–22).

The good news for Nadia Padovani’s team is the return of Fermin Aldeguer, who missed the last two Grands Prix in Australia and Malaysia due to a fracture to his right hand sustained in Indonesia. It was officially announced a short while ago that the Spanish rider will travel to Doha as planned tomorrow.

Joining Aldeguer in the Gresini garage will be Iker Lecuona, who will ride the blue Ducati Desmosedici GP for the third consecutive Grand Prix. This will be his fifth appearance of the season: he had already replaced Alex Marquez in Hungary, then Aldeguer at Silverstone, before returning to action with the Faenza team at Phillip Island.

The 2026 MotoGP season has not gone as Aldeguer had imagined. A left femur injury in early January forced him to miss pre-season testing and the Thailand Grand Prix. After returning for the second round of the calendar in Brazil, he was injured again during pre-qualifying at Assen, suffering a fracture to his T7 thoracic vertebra. His weekend in the Netherlands ended early, and he also missed the Grands Prix at Sachsenring and Silverstone. Another injury in the Mandalika race then led to his withdrawal from Phillip Island and Sepang.

He will be able to race at Lusail, although he may not yet be at 100% physically. His aim is to finish his two-year stint with BK8 Gresini on the best possible note before moving to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 garage for a new chapter in his MotoGP career. He is very grateful to Nadia Padovani’s team and regrets that physical problems have hampered his 2026 season.