Ducati MotoGP star undergoes leg surgery after “bad crash” in Spain

Gresini MotoGP race winner Fermin Aldeguer is currently recovering in hospital following “successful” surgery on a broken femur he sustained last week.

The 20-year-old was training at the Aspar circuit in Valencia last week alongside a number of MotoGP riders when he crashed.

Gresini reported that he had fractured his femur and was set to undergo immediate surgery on the injury in Barcelona.

Last year’s top MotoGP rookie had a successful operation over the weekend, though Gresini is yet to release any details on his recovery timeline.

“The operation was successful,” the team said in a brief statement.

“Now it’s time to rest. We will provide further information in the coming days.”

Femur injuries can take several months to fully heal, with Aldeguer unlikely to be present at the start of the 2026 season in Thailand at the beginning of March.

Ducati test rider Michele Pirro was riding at the Aspar circuit when Aldeguer crashed, and told GPOne: “It was cold, but the track was in good condition. The circumstances aren’t entirely clear yet, but it was a bad crash.

“We hope he recovers soon.”

Who could Ducati replace Fermin Aldeguer with?

Ducati has limited options to field as a replacement for Aldeguer, with Pirro the most obvious candidate.

However, with the veteran Italian test rider set to begin work in the coming months on Ducati’s 2027 challenger, the brand may not want to risk him getting injured in a race.

Ducati could look to call up Nicolo Bulega from World Superbikes.

The Italian made his debut on the GP25 last season in Portugal and Valencia as Marc Marquez’s injury replacement, scoring points in both outings.

Bulega is due to have an expanded role with Ducati in 2026 as a test rider for the 2027 project.

In theory, Bulega could test Aldeguer’s GP25 at Sepang at the beginning of February, though would miss the Buriram test due to the World Superbike opener in Australia.

He would be able to race in Thailand and the following Brazilian Grand Prix, however, but would have to miss Austin due to World Superbikes in Portugal.

According to reports last year, Bulega isn’t set to begin riding the 2027 Ducati until the summer, but more miles on current machinery - particularly in a race setting - would prove useful to him in his testing role.