Return from injury at the 2026 MotoGP opener not ruled out for Fermin Aldeguer

Fermin Aldeguer’s physiotherapist has not ruled out the possibility of the Gresini rider taking part in the 2026 MotoGP season-opener, but will miss testing with a leg injury.

The Gresini rider suffered a fractured femur in a training accident earlier this month and required surgery.

A timeline for Fermin Aldeguer’s recovery has not been given by his team, though he has been widely expected to be absent from the upcoming pre-season tests at Sepang and Buriram in February.

Last year’s top rookie faces a race against time to be ready for the start of the 2026 season, which begins on 27 February-1 March in Thailand.

Long-time MotoGP physiotherapist Aitor Tomas, who has worked with the likes of Aleix Espargaro, Dani Pedrosa and Pedro Acosta, has been helping Aldeguer with his rehabilitation.

Speaking with Catalan media outlet L’Esportu, he has ruled Aldeguer out for the upcoming tests, but “we’ll fight to have him at the first MotoGP race”.

“It's impossible for him to be ready for the pre-season, and we'll fight to have him at the first MotoGP race,” he said.

“The physiotherapist isn't in charge; he's there to support the rider so he can get better day by day, and feel more and more confident.”

Femur fractures come with lengthy recovery periods, with Tomas revealing that Aldeguer’s is “complex”.

However, he noted that Acosta suffered a similar injury during his Moto2 days and was able to return to riding just weeks later.

“Another of my riders, Pedro Acosta, had a very similar injury, also fracturing his femur,” he added.

“He was back on the bike in 15 days.

“Does that mean Fermin will do the same? No, because even if it were exactly the same injury, with the same factors and the same circumstances, everybody reacts differently.

“Besides, Aldeguer's is a bit more complex.”

Gresini is yet to announce any plans for potential replacements for Aldeguer, should his injury layoff extend to the start of the season.