Aside from all of the razzmatazz surrounding the 2023 MotoGP World Championship title fight during the lattermost rounds of the Grand Prix season, it has been very difficult to avoid one particular name being mentioned a lot over the past few weeks; Fermin Aldeguer.

Granted, unless you’re a true Spanish patriot, we won’t blame you for rolling your eyes at the emergence of yet another product from the nation’s fervent proving ground delivering yet another exciting prospect for the future - especially if you’ve had enough doses of ‘Pedro Acosta’ and the words ‘grand prix racing’s next superstar’ being fed to you on a frequent basis.

However, the rise of Aldeguer in recent weeks deserves attention… and not just because it has occurred so sharply and effectively.

Indeed, the fairweather among you may not have even cast more than a glance at his name at the start of his second season in the intermediate ranks but after breaking his Moto2 podium duck in style with a telling victory in tricky conditions at Silverstone, it was Aldeguer all the way from the summer break onwards.

With four consecutive wins to see out the season in Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar and Valencia - becoming only the second rider of the Moto2 era, along with Toni Elias, to achieve such a feat - Aldeguer’s surge up the overall rankings and into the spotlight is staggering.

Indeed, having gone into the summer hiatus only 11th in the standings, Aldeguer would pop out the other end of the season with third overall, achieving 132 of his 171 second-half season points in the final six events alone.

So, from little-known first-half Moto2 midfielder to a second-half ‘superstar in waiting’, just who is Fermin Aldeguer… and is he the real deal?

Forging his own path to Grand Prix glory

For all of the focus on fellow Spaniard Acosta and, in particular, his rampant success at only 19-years of age, Aldeguer is in fact younger - a whole year younger in fact, just 18-years old.

In the context of his recent race-winning efforts, it is a remarkable feat for a rider who - under the FIM’s new age limit regulations - wouldn’t have even been allowed to start in Moto3 if he was making his grand prix debut in 2023.

Fortunately for Aldeguer, he’d get to cut his teeth in grand prix prior to this ruling, making his Moto2 debut towards the end of 2021 at the age of 16 before getting his first full season in 2022, aged 17.

Significantly, given their similar age, identical nationality and participation in the Spanish CEV (aka. European) junior ranks, it is in the Moto2 World Championship where Acosta and Aldeguer have butted heads for the first time.

However, while Acosta’s rise to prominence has been played out internationally, first in Moto3 and then Moto2, Aldeguer’s path to the top has taken an unconventional route with his larger frame seeing him syphoned towards Moto2 machinery straight away.

Competing in the European Moto2 Championship in 2021 having only just turned 16-years old, Aldeguer dismissed a quality field that included current Speed Up Racing team-mate Alonso Lopez and Lukas Tulovic to dominate en route to the title.

At the same time, Aldeguer dovetailed this with a surprise stint in the MotoE World Cup to get his first taste of the grand prix circuit. Making him the first rider to debut in and step up from MotoE - a series better known for its more stalwart entry list - it made Aldeguer something of an ‘in the know’ dark horse, shrouded out by the publicity around Acosta.

A slow-burning Moto2 success story

While it is fair to say it has taken some time for Aldeguer to burst into Moto2’s elite circle, the first seeds of success came surprisingly early in his intermediate class endeavour.

Indeed, while Acosta was still dominating the headlines during the early stages of the 2022 Moto2 season, Aldeguer stole his thunder by scoring a surprise pole position during Round 3 in Argentina. He was on course for a podium too had he not been caught up in a tangle with eventual winner Celestino Vietti.

As the spotlight shifted to up-and-coming team-mate Lopez, Aldeguer spent the rest of 2022 and the first-half of 2023 on the periphery of the front-running group, but seemingly on the cusp of his big breakthrough.

What now for Fermin Aldeguer?

Alas for Aldeguer, the 2023 Moto2 season is over, a shame for him given there was no indication rivals could challenge a smooth yet aggressive - and most of all - fast riding style at any other circuit had there been more rounds to come.

On the one hand, this might be a good thing - after all, if the bubble was to burst, he’d have felt the fall hard.

Then again, the end of the season halts his momentum, one that might be tricky to pick up again in three months' time when action resumes for a new season. Moreover, he will need to handle the pressure of being an obvious title favourite at still only 19-years old. But, if Acosta can do it…

Beyond 2024, Aldeguer is currently sitting pretty. Under the guidance of personal manager (and Speed Up team manager) Luca Boscoscuro, Aldeguer has no affiliation with any one of the five manufacturers competing in MotoGP.

Though rumoured approaches from Ducati and Honda for 2024 ultimately came to nothing, it at least shows a signal of intent that is likely to be explored further in the new year and potentially involve more parties next time.

Until then, it might well be worth having a gander at who is performing in European Moto2 right now or a young prospect choosing MotoE, rather than Moto3, for their grand prix debut next year - you never know, you might just get to brag that you tipped them first.