Hair-raising podium for Aldeguer: "A truly terrifying day

On MotoGP Sunday in Barcelona there was no shortage of plot twists and moments of fear. In a race marked by nasty crashes and red flags, Fermin Aldeguer managed to take the second step of the podium, despite starting from the fifth row. The Gresini rider found the right spark amid the chaos and clinched his first good result of this 2026 season.

The Catalan GP delivered not only excitement, but chills. Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez were involved in an incident that denied the Aprilia rider the chance to take the lead in the World Championship. Earlier crashes by Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco ramped up tensions and electrified the atmosphere, for a total of three starts in less than half an hour. In the end, Fabio Di Giannantonio’s Ducati triumphed, followed by fellow Ducati riders Fermin Aldeguer and Pecco Bagnaia.

For the Gresini standard-bearer, a solid second place that provides a morale boost looking ahead to the rest of the MotoGP season. This final result wasn’t part of the plan on the eve of the race. "Honestly, I didn’t expect it. It was a tough, long day—I can’t wait for it to be over, but also to celebrate, because we had a difficult start to the season and we deserve these results."

In all honesty, the rider from Murcia admitted that the race context reshaped the final outcome. "Since FP1 I felt very good, but between yellow flags, qualifying and a crash, starting from 15th didn’t make me think of a podium spot," Aldeguer continued. “A bit of bad luck for others, a bit of good luck for me." The restarts allowed him to climb to ninth place and subsequently close in on the front of the race. "No one expected me to fight for the win today, but we came very close."

One of the most delicate moments of the day was the crash of his teammate Alex Marquez. Back in the pits, Fermin sensed an almost surreal atmosphere. "It was a tough day. Terrifying, truly horrible. There was a lot of tension in the box... You see those images and you get goosebumps. It’s very hard to handle the adrenaline surges due to the constant stops, restarts, and more stops... When you see another rider on the ground, even if they tell you he’s conscious, you never really know what’s happening to him."

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