– Fermin Aldeguer will compete for the VR46-Ducati team starting from the 2027 MotoGP season. The 21-year-old Spaniard is continuing his career within the Ducati camp and is moving from Gresini to Valentino Rossi’s team. He has signed a two-year contract, so he will stay until 2028.
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It is not surprising. Already at the Brazil Grand Prix in March, initial information about an agreement between Aldeguer, Ducati, and VR46 had leaked.
The personnel move is part of the reorganization of the MotoGP rider lineup for 2027. Gresini confirmed its new rider pairing with Joan Mir and Moto2 rider Daniel Holgado at the beginning of July. Aldeguer was thus definitively planned as a departure.
Ducati sticks with Aldeguer
For Aldeguer, the move does not mean a farewell to Ducati. The manufacturer holds the talent from Murcia in high regard and is binding him for the new technical era as well. Aldeguer was directly signed by Ducati upon his MotoGP promotion and debuted in 2025 at Gresini as the successor to Marc Marquez.
His first season in the premier class confirmed expectations. Aldeguer achieved one win, three podiums, and a total of 186 world championship points in his rookie year.
At the Indonesian Grand Prix, he celebrated his first MotoGP victory and became the second youngest premier class Grand Prix winner at 20 years and 183 days. He was named “Rookie of the Year” and finished the season eighth overall.
In 2026, Aldeguer again showed his potential repeatedly, but his second MotoGP season was hampered by injuries. After suffering a thigh fracture in the winter, he missed the season opener and later had to pause again after another crash. Nevertheless, he managed a podium in Barcelona.
From Gresini to Rossi’s team
The move to VR46 is also interesting because Aldeguer had actually found an environment at Gresini where he could quickly establish himself in the premier class. Nadia Padovani’s team is thus losing its second current rider after Alex Marquez. For the 2027 season, a completely new lineup has been signed: Joan Mir and Moto2 newcomer Daniel Holgado.
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At VR46, Aldeguer meets a team that has increasingly established itself as a serious force within the Ducati camp in recent years. Valentino Rossi’s squad has now extended its partnership with Ducati until the end of 2029 and will compete as a “Factory Supported Team” from 2027 onwards.
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“The contract with Valentino’s team is simply incredible,” Aldeguer comments on his move to VR46 and emphasizes: “He has always been one of my idols and a role model for me. I believe that his presence in the team will help me develop further as a rider thanks to his valuable advice.”
And he adds: “The VR46 team is the Ducati-supported factory team, a highly professional operation, and I am very much looking forward to racing with them.”
Thus, the sporting conditions for Aldeguer remain excellent. Added to this is the timing of the move: 2027 marks the beginning of a new technical era in MotoGP.
New MotoGP, new opportunity
From 2027, the premier class will compete with 850 instead of the previous 1000 cubic centimeters of displacement. At the same time, the switch from Michelin to Pirelli will take place, aerodynamics will be more restricted, and ride-height and holeshot systems will be banned. Additionally, non-fossil fuels will be used exclusively for the first time.
Aldeguer will then have two years of MotoGP experience but will practically start a new development phase alongside all other riders. Knowledge of the previous generation of the Desmosedici remains valuable. At the same time, the cards will be partially reshuffled by the regulations.
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Ducati has already decided that VR46 will also be among the preferred customer teams in 2027. Aldeguer will thus receive full support and official equipment from the manufacturer in Borgo Panigale. In this respect, he will have the same resources as the two factory riders Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta.
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