VR46 MotoGP team boss heightens 2027 rumours with Fermin Aldeguer praise

Amid rumours of Fermin Aldeguer’s potential move to VR46 Ducati for the 2027 MotoGP season, team manager Pablo Nieto has not shied away from expressing his feelings on the young Spaniard.

Aldeguer is at the beginning of his second season in MotoGP after stepping up with Gresini Ducati last year. 

Currently on a contract tied to Ducati that was signed at the beginning of his final Moto2 season two years ago, his future is to be decided beyond the end of the 2026 season, but during this weekend’s (20–22 March) Brazilian Grand Prix weekend it has become clear that the VR46 Racing Team is a likely landing spot for the 20-year-old Murcian.

Having broken his femur in the winter, Aldeguer was forced to miss the opening round of this season in Thailand three weeks ago, as well as the preseason tests in Sepang and Buriram. On returning to a MotoGP bike for the first time since last November’s Valencia test, Aldeguer was able to finish Friday in Brazil eighth-fastest, despite patchy track conditions.

It was a performance that impressed Nieto, as he was only too willing to make clear when speaking to the MotoGP world feed broadcast during Practice in Brazil.

“It’s amazing,” Nieto said of Aldeguer’s performance at Goiania on Friday.

“The last time that he was on a bike was in Valencia [last November], he didn’t make any winter tests, any laps, any kilometre, and now he comes to this track– it’s true that this condition is not 100 per cent dry and maybe you cannot put 100 per cent, but he’s in the top-10, at the moment he’s directly into the Q2. 

“It’s amazing the things that he is making. 

“Also, we have to know that, for me and also for us, he is one of the two riders who have the most potential for the future in MotoGP. So, a good rider.”

The VR46 team is the official satellite team of Ducati. Gresini is a step below that in terms of technical support, theoretically, but Aldeguer is on a factory contract and Alex Marquez got upgraded this year to 2026 machinery after being on year-old bikes since he joined Gresini in 2023.

Signing a top rider, one that can win races – something which Aldeguer achieved in Indonesia last year – for 2027 is therefore a priority for VR46.

“It’s important for us,” said Nieto. “At the moment, we have a very good relationship with Ducati. We know it’s also very important for us to continue with them. 

“2027 is going to be amazing because everything [will] change: bikes, tyres, a lot of riders change team. So, it’s important for us to keep focused on the riders. 

“At the moment we have Diggia [Fabio Di Giannantonio] and Franco [Morbidelli], we are happy with them, we try to make something very important with them this year, and then of course we are working for 2027.”