– At the start of his second season with Aprilia, Jorge Martin has hit the ground running. At the season opener in Thailand, the 2024 MotoGP World Champion narrowly missed the podium in fourth place. This was followed by an emotional podium finish with third place in the sprint in Brazil.
Read more Daniel Abt puzzled by F1 criticism: “I don’t understand it at all!”
For the first time since winning the World Championship, Martin celebrated at an award ceremony again. The following day, he confirmed his form with second place in the Grand Prix. But it got even better. In Austin, Martin won the sprint and even took the lead in the World Championship.
In the Grand Prix, he again took second place behind his Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi. After his injury-plagued year in 2025, including a contract dispute with Aprilia, Martin has returned to the top of the field in sporting terms.
“The past year was really hard for my life, not only professionally but also personally,” Martin looks back. “We had all these problems with the contracts and so on. But the moment I make a decision, I am 100 percent behind it.”
“When I decided to come back in Brno and also stay with Aprilia in 2026, it was completely clear to me that I wanted to fight for these colors, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. I also think that Aprilia is fighting for me and helping me a lot to be back at 100 percent.”
“And yes, I think it’s really important for me to continue like this for the whole season, because I hope that if I continue this development, I can also fight for big things.” With a gap of only four points to Bezzecchi, Martin is right in the World Championship fight.
Martin feels comfortable on the current RS-GP. He also feels the technical developments. Aprilia has taken the right steps in recent months. This had already become apparent in the fall of last year.
Read more Despite internal trouble: Penske wants to stick to team orders “definitely”
“Yes, I think the aerodynamics were the key for me,” Martin explains. “When I arrived in Thailand, I immediately felt comfortable. I also changed my riding style, in braking and also in acceleration.”
“I adjusted my body position and changed how I brake a little bit. And that’s exactly why I feel much better on the Aprilia now.” Nevertheless, Martin still sees room for improvement to reach Bezzecchi’s level.
What is he doing differently when braking now? “I don’t want to go into too much detail. I don’t want the others to adopt it, although Marco has surely already figured it out. But yes, it’s just different, significantly different than with Ducati.”
“Braking is also one of the strong points at Ducati, but the whole way you approach the brake lever is completely different.” At the end of April, Martin’s home race, the Spanish Grand Prix, is on the calendar. He won the sprint in Jerez in 2024.
2026 will be his second and last season with Aprilia. Next year, Martin will move to Yamaha. Francesco Bagnaia will take his place.
Read more Toto Wolff on Formula 1 criticism: Must not think too “nostalgically”
