ALDEGUER’S INJURY-HIT YEAR CONTINUES WITH QATAR SPRINT CRASH

Fermin Aldeguer’s return to MotoGP in Qatar brought a difficult weekend, a costly Sprint crash and, at least, no fresh injury. The Gresini Ducati rider had missed the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix after breaking his right hand in a crash in Indonesia.

In Saturday’s Sprint, Aldeguer collided with Pecco Bagnaia on the opening lap. Bagnaia was thrown into the air and landed heavily on his back; the crash left him with two fractures in his right foot and several bruises. Aldeguer accepted responsibility and apologised to Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo team. After the race was stopped, the restarted Sprint was shortened to 10 laps. Aldeguer served a double long-lap penalty and finished 11th.

Sunday’s 22-lap Grand Prix was also a struggle. Aldeguer came home 12th, more than 20 seconds behind winner Marco Bezzecchi. “It was a difficult weekend, but I think I got good results in my comeback after the injury,” the 21-year-old said. He had hoped for more in the main race, but reported problems with the front tyre from the start. He said the issue was not tyre pressure or temperature, but grip and stability, making for “a really difficult and very long race.”

The Qatar comeback followed a punishing run of injuries. In January, a training crash on a Supersport bike broke Aldeguer’s left thighbone, ruling him out of the Malaysian and Thai pre-season tests and the opening round at Buriram. A fractured vertebra sustained at Assen in late June then kept him out of the German and British Grands Prix. The right-hand fracture in Indonesia added another setback.

Aldeguer said he had at least come through Qatar physically intact and that his hand was working well. He still needs to recover, describing the challenge of compensating for “a broken leg, a broken hand and a broken back.” His aim, he said, is to finish the year as well as possible and then enjoy riding again.

There will be little time to rest before the Portuguese Grand Prix, scheduled for November 20–22. Asked whether he would take a break, Aldeguer joked: “No, I can’t. I’ve already had a lot of holidays this season.” He planned to get back to work on Tuesday and possibly spend several days training on a motorcycle to regain his feel for riding. Different muscles are used on the bike, he noted, and those are difficult to train in the gym. The priority is to make the most of the week and arrive in Portimão in better shape.