Tuesday's test in Barcelona officially kicked off Fermin Aldeguer 's MotoGP adventure. It was a positive first day of school for the 19-year-old from Murcia who, on the Desmosedici of the Gresini team, put in the 20th fastest time, 1.8s from the benchmark of his teammate Alex Marquez.
"Finally I can feel like a MotoGP rider. I didn't feel like one until I got on the bike," Fermin said at the end of the test. "I think the day was very positive. I can say I lived up to expectations, but the way I felt from the beginning I think I could have done a little bit better."
Also complicating the young Spaniard's work a tad was an innocuous crash in Turn 5 just before the lunch break.
"I think it slowed me down a bit in getting into a rhythm, because I had to start over, but I'm glad I adapted quickly to the buttons, the devices and the braking, which I think was the aspect that impressed me the most, much more than the acceleration," he commented, "It's incredible where and when you can brake.
It's true that the electronics help a lot with these bikes, but when you understand where you have to brake you say to yourself, 'there it's impossible,' because you lift off very late and then the bike stops. It was difficult to understand in the first few laps."
Braking was precisely one of the most difficult phases for the 19-year-old, even from a physical point of view.
"I was okay with my physical condition, my forearms hardened a little bit. I will definitely have to work on being able to do a Grand Prix, though. When I was a little tense and I still had to figure out the position on the bike, the braking was hard on my forearms.
Then, after the crash, when it started to get a little colder, the part of my hand where I had surgery swelled slightly and I had a little difficulty braking and accelerating in the last exit," explained Fermin, who was very tense for this his debut on the Ducati.
"Half an hour before I got on the bike I was about to throw up, but I managed to relax, breathe and take it easy, and it went well," he revealed, "I wasn't about to leave the circuit because I was too impatient. I think it's part of the learning curve, though, and I think I'll be able to face Sepang without being nervous."
Among the aspects Aldeguer focused on, there was no shortage of practice starts.
"I tried at least six, and actually activating the devices was the easiest thing. After one rehearsal, I said to myself, 'What a great start I made!' But then I went back to the pit and they told me I was 0.8 seconds behind the fastest.
I still have some problems keeping the throttle open to the maximum and managing everything with the clutch," explained the Gresini rider, who ended up with his helmet against the fairing of his Ducati in the last attempt. "In the last practice start, I tried to do what they told me, to start like Marc Marquez, but it went pretty bad," Fermin downplayed.
Speaking about the transition from Pirelli to Michelin he added, "The tires are completely different and I will have to adapt my riding style to these tires. However, it is positive, because having changed the bike as well I will be able to adapt everything.
This is not the time to think about the set-up, but to adapt my riding style. What differentiates these tires most from Pirelli? I can't say, because the bike is different. However, Michelin has asymmetric tires and you feel you can push on the left shoulder but, when it gets cooler, then maybe you lose the front. I will have to do more laps to understand."
If at the riding level, as is normal, there are still many aspects to be refined, with the team everything went smoothly from the first contact.
"I got on very well with the team. The professional and technical part is very good. We have been working in very determined small steps, because we don't want to get lost on the way. On a personal level, you can see that they are really strong.
Already on Monday, when I arrived, they played tricks on me, and that helps a rookie to start fully charged," he remarked with a smile. "I am a 'goat,' but there are a lot of them in the team too!"
Fermin also had a chance to exchange a few words with Gigi Dall'Igna: "He came the first time when I stopped, for the first comments and then came back when I finished. Initially, I told him how I was feeling, but I couldn't say much about the bike because it was carrying me.
It was a little crazy at first, but then I was able to tell him what I need to work on in this preseason and we are all aligned. The whole team and Ducati were happy, because I think I met expectations."
