ALDEGUER HEADS TO QATAR IN BID TO RACE AFTER WRIST INJURY

Fermin Aldeguer is heading to Doha with the aim of returning to MotoGP at the Qatar Grand Prix, offering a potential boost to a grid facing several absences. Gresini Racing said the Ducati-contracted rider was “fit for duty again” and would travel to Qatar, but he must still be assessed and cleared before he can race.

Aldeguer has missed the Australian and Malaysian rounds after injuring his hand in a crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix and undergoing surgery. He had been targeting a Qatar comeback, although his participation was uncertain: he is believed to be among riders who wrote to MotoGP expressing reluctance to race at Lusail without adequate guarantees. World Superbike rider Iker Lecuona, who filled in for Aldeguer over the past two rounds, will return to Gresini to replace Alex Marquez. Marquez is undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury.

The Qatar entry list is already under pressure. Five riders are confirmed absent after Yamaha decided not to send its teams to Lusail, while Marquez is also out. Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez plans to try to race but must first undergo further evaluation for a broken finger. Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin remains doubtful as he recovers from a wrist fracture sustained at Phillip Island. Aprilia has not said whether Lorenzo Savadori will be available as a substitute.

Honda’s Joan Mir is another uncertainty. Symptoms of the illness that sidelined him for four rounds earlier in the season returned in Malaysia. The Race reported that Honda could call on World Superbike rider and former Moto2 competitor Jake Dixon if Mir is unable to start. If Fernandez, Martin, Mir and Aldeguer cannot race and replacements are unavailable, the field could fall to 13 starters. The last time MotoGP had so few was the 2011 Australian Grand Prix, when 14 riders began the race.

There is also uncertainty over whether the Qatar Grand Prix itself will proceed. Riders’ concerns about travelling to Doha have been heightened by Tuesday’s US strikes on an Iranian island. An Iranian-backed media outlet has reported an alleged list of potential targets in neighbouring countries that includes hotels used by MotoGP, though the credibility of the reported threat is unknown.

Gresini’s announcement therefore provides a possible addition to the field, but Aldeguer’s return depends on medical clearance, while the wider situation in Qatar remains unresolved.