Fermín Aldeguer to miss Australian GP as Iker Lecuona steps in

Fermín Aldeguer will miss the upcoming Australian Grand Prix at the iconic Phillip Island circuit. The Spanish rider has been ruled out through injury, with compatriot Iker Lecuona stepping in to replace him at Gresini Ducati.

Aldeguer was spotted in the Jerez paddock during the World Superbike round sporting a splint on his left hand. He sustained a fracture to his first metacarpal bone during the Indonesian Grand Prix just over a week ago after losing front-end grip at Turn 16 and suffering a heavy crash in the runoff area.

His appearance in a splint at Jerez suggested that he would unlikely be fully recovered in time for the Australian round. This weekend also marks MotoGP's final race at Phillip Island before the event moves to Adelaide next season.

The rider's absence was officially confirmed today by Gresini, with the Italian outfit announcing that Lecuona will deputise once again.

"Fermín Aldeguer will not take part in the Australian Grand Prix. Iker Lecuona will once again hop on the #54 Ducati. Fermín is working hard to be ready for the start in Malaysia in less than two weeks," Gresini Racing posted on Instagram.

For Lecuona, this will mark his third premier-class outing of the season aboard the Gresini machine. Earlier in the campaign, he stood in for the injured Alex Marquez in Hungary, as well as for Aldeguer at Silverstone.

The Spaniard heads to Phillip Island fresh off the back of the World Superbike season finale, where he finished second in the overall standings with four victories to his name. At the final round in Jerez, he stepped onto the podium in all three races—taking third in Race 1 and second in both Sunday contests. In his two MotoGP appearances so far this season, Lecuona crossed the line seventh at Balaton Park and recorded a DNF at Silverstone.