No pointless in Qatar’s previous four races, Fermin Aldegar left Lesail’s weekend as he matched the best newcomer results of Ai Ogra this season.
Ogura entered the MotoGP scene with a stunning fourth place in the Buriram Sprint, then fifth in the season-opening Grand Prix, followed by the top 10 with Termas and Cota.
Meanwhile, Aldeguer only had the best in 13th place heading towards Qatar.
But he had already shown speed by breaking into Austin’s top five, so before the crash drop slowed, Aldegar turned the script over under the flat light.
After fighting fourth in Saturday’s sprint, Aldeguer delivered a mature ride for the sixth despite his “bad luck” at GP. Maverick Vinall’s post-race penalty promoted him to fifth.
“We did an incredible job and are very pleased with the weekend,” said Aldeguer. “Our progress is constantly increasing, and this is important not to lose track of the road.
“We were very competitive in all conditions and are very pleased with the weekend.”
The result occurred despite fighting rear end issues during the Grand Prix.
“I think we had some bad luck because we weren’t that happy with the rear tires in the race. I chatted three or four times more than other Ducati riders,” he said.
“It was impossible to fight Zarco and Morbidelli, but even with this issue, I’ve finished in the fifth position and I need to be very happy.”
Ogura finished seventh in the Qatar Sprint and 15th in the Grand Prix, with Aldegar currently just nine points behind the Japanese in the Rookie of the Year contest heading into his first home round at Geres.
Ogra was taken away eight more points by a technical penalty in Argentina.