Ai Ogura, Fermin Aldeguer and Somkiat Chantra have a tough act to follow when they move up to MotoGP this year.
Pedro Acosta raised the bar so high when he made his debut with Tech3 GasGas in 2024 that whatever the trio achieve this year won’t be seen in the same light.
That said, all three join MotoGP as race winners in Moto2, and how they mix with the championship’s established riders will be fascinating to watch in 2025.
Ai Ogura
The 2024 Moto2 champion Ai Ogura is the most highly-rated rookie this year
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Ai Ogura is easily the hottest prospect among the three rookies on the 2025 grid. Trackhouse could have easily opted for an experienced rider to replace the outgoing Miguel Oliveira, or signed the more commercially-attractive option in American Joe Roberts. But team boss Davide Brivio has always had an eye for talent, and by putting his faith in Ogura he has found another star that could follow in the footsteps of Jorge Lorenzo, Alex Rins and Joan Mir.
The very announcement about Ogura stepping up to MotoGP in August spurred on the Japanese youngster in Moto2. While a sudden slump in team-mate Sergio Garcia’s performance played its part, Ogura was simply the quickest and the most consistent rider in the second half of last season, and was able to clinch the title with two rounds to spare.
The former Honda protege has found the jump from Moto2 to MotoGP ‘easier’ than the one he faced in 2021 when he graduated to the intermediate class from Moto3. He spent most of pre-season testing focusing on long runs, completing two full race simulations in Sepang and emulating a sprint at Buriram. On the final day of the test, he unleashed the full speed of his Aprilia RS-GP, setting the seventh-quickest time during a time attack.
It wasn’t a perfect two weeks for the 24-year-old, who suffered a small crash at the start of the Sepang test and admitted that he needed time to get the best out of MotoGP’s carbon brakes. Nevertheless, his swift adaptation to the bike caught the attention of his rivals, and it would be interesting to see how he performs in the early races of 2025 before he properly gets into the groove. With Aprilia lacking continuity going into 2025 following a major rider line-up shuffle, and Jorge Martin missing almost the entirety of testing due to an injury, Ogura could well provide the Noale-based brand with a welcome boost.
Fermin Aldeguer

Fermin Aldeguer was set to progress to MotoGP in 2024, but was then forced into contesting another year of Moto2
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Fermin Aldeguer is another rookie bound to get a lot of attention this year. His form in Moto2 in 2023, including a four-race win streak at the end of that season, resulted in him being lured by VR46 and even Honda for an immediate graduation to MotoGP. Ultimately, his contract with SpeedUp forced him to stay in the intermediate class for a third season, but he was signed by Ducati for 2025 before the first race of the year.
Ironically, Aldeguer’s stock would have been higher had he stepped up to MotoGP straight away last season. After all, his 2023 Moto2 campaign was better than his 2024 showing by every metric. However, with three wins and two other podium finishes, it was still a solid season for the Spaniard, who now has another year of world championship experience under his belt.
Aldeguer was initially destined to join Pramac in 2025, but the squad’s departure from Ducati’s satellite roster means he will race for Gresini instead. But the family-like atmosphere at Gresini could actually benefit the 19-year-old in his rookie season by taking the pressure away from him. Having Frankie Carchedi as his crew chief is a major plus point, too.
Aldeguer put on a solid show in pre-season testing, following the lead of new team leader Alex Marquez. He was the fastest rookie at Sepang and was set to keep his crown in Buriram until Ogura’s late heroics on the final day of testing.
Even so, Aldeguer’s performance in testing was impressive, and with a Ducati GP24 underneath him, he is the strongest contender for the rookie of the year award.
Somkiat Chantra

Not much is expected of Somkiat Chantra, having completed six years of Moto2 with a sixth-placed finish in the 2023 standings being his best result
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Somkiat Chantra faces a baptism of fire on his step up to MotoGP. Considering Thailand’s relatively recent emergence in bike racing, Chantra’s move to the premier class is an achievement in itself. However, given his lack of results in the lower classes, and the fact that Honda is expected to be among the slowest bikes on the grid, the 2025 season is likely to be a struggle for the 26-year-old.
To be fair to Chantra, he did win two races in Moto2, including his home event in 2023 with Honda Team Asia. That automatically puts him ahead of Darryn Binder, who was by far the least-qualified rider to secure a MotoGP promotion in recent history. But it will still be a huge task for Chantra to match the speed of the rider he is replacing, Takaaki Nakagami, who came close to winning races in 2020 and had been a solid performer on an uncompetitive bike ever since.
Pre-season testing went smoothly for the LCR recruit; while he languished near the bottom of the pack, his one-lap pace was in the same ballpark as other tail-enders. That would have certainly disappointed his naysayers, who expected him to be a second slower than everyone else.
Chantra spent six seasons in Moto2 and it wasn’t until his fourth year that he won a race. So it’s fair to say it may take him a long time to get up to speed in MotoGP. But with backing from Idemitsu and blessings from Honda, time is a luxury that he can afford.

How will the 2025 rookie class fare in MotoGP?
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
In this article
Rachit Thukral
MotoGP
Somkiat Chantra
Ai Ogura
Fermin Aldeguer
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