Fermin Aldeguer was demoted from the Sprint Race podium, but still secured the MotoGP Rookie of the Year title.

The MotoGP Sprint Race at the Malaysian Grand Prix was bittersweet for Fermin Aldeguer as he was crowned the MotoGP Rookie of the Year, but lost his podium due to a penalty.

Aldeguer made his way through the field during the Sprint and battled his way to third place at the chequered flag. However, he was given a tyre pressure penalty after the race and was demoted to seventh place, but still secured the Rookie of the Year title.

"I am super happy, because this was one of our first goals and maybe our most important goal," Aldeguer told MotoGP.com after wrapping up the MotoGP Rookie of the Year title.

"To be Rookie of the Year, we have our little Championship, and it is funny to win the Championship. But to be honest, until Australia, I was not thinking about this. We are having an incredible season, I have to say thanks to all of my people.

"I know all of the people will enjoy this more than me, but we have to continue like this."

The BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider went on to reveal that at the start of the 2025 season, he questioned whether he was ready to be in the premier class.

"To be honest, in February in the first race, I thought I was not ready to be a MotoGP rider," he admitted.

"Because other rookies started better than me, I was a little bit far from the top riders. But all of the team believed in me, and we believe in our potential. Look, I don't think we can do too much more, but I have learned a lot this year.

"This is perfect for the rest of my career."

'I thought the whole time the problem was from a sensor...'

After the race and the podium celebrations, Aldeguer was handed an eight-second tyre pressure penalty and was demoted to seventh place in the final standings.

However, the Spaniard was not aware he was on track to receive a penalty as he believed he had an issue with the tyre pressure sensors on his Ducati GP24.

"During the race, I looked at the alarm, and the sensor for the pressure was not working," he explained.

"I was super close to the other riders, I tried to bring the pressure up, but I thought the whole time the problem was from a sensor, not from the pressure of the tyre."