Aprilia backs Jorge Martin: "He has two big advantages"

Jorge Martin arrives in Motegi as the MotoGP championship leader, with Aprilia in great shape and ready to launch an assault on the world title. The 2026 season moves into the Asian tour and the Madrid-born rider holds a 12-point advantage in the standings over Marc Marquez. It will be a battle down to the final corner, before the season break and his move to Yamaha.

'Martinator' has decided to postpone surgery to address compartment syndrome in his right forearm. The chance to seize the MotoGP title is too tempting, especially after taking the outright lead at the Red Bull Ring. A choice much appreciated by Aprilia’s leadership and garage, to end a rather turbulent relationship in the best possible way.

A year ago Jorge Martin was recovering from an injury and looking for an early exit route from his contract with the Noale manufacturer. Now he finds himself fighting for his second MotoGP crown, after the one clinched with Ducati Pramac in 2024. "Honestly, I didn’t expect at all to be in this position. I started the season with two more surgeries. I wasn’t ready for racing. I didn’t think in the slightest that I’d be fighting for the win," the Spaniard admitted on the Mig Babol podcast, hosted by former rider Andrea Migno.

Six podiums and one long-race win in this 2026 MotoGP season, three wins and as many podiums in the Sprints. "Now I’m in a situation I have to take advantage of. Marco (Bezzecchi) is in incredible form too. I think the three of us are a bit ahead of the others. But come on, it’s going to be a great fight to the end."

They’ve been difficult years for Jorge Martin, marked by injuries and surgeries. He has learned from what happened, including the need to live in the present intensely, but without pushing too far past the limit. "I don’t regret anything that happened to me, because everything taught me something, everything helped me grow. And surely, thanks to everything I’ve been through, I’m here today."

Martin specifically recalled the difficult recovery process after the crash in Qatar. He explained there was a moment when he didn’t even know if he would ever be able to ride a MotoGP bike again. "After Qatar it was impossible, because I didn’t even know if I’d ever get back on a bike. At that moment, I was there, I couldn’t even walk," remembered the Aprilia rider. The process was gradual and involved further surgeries and challenges. However, in April he began to regain fitness and realized he could compete at the highest level again.

The partnership with the Veneto-based manufacturer could close with another page of history. And to think the relationship didn’t start under a lucky star. A whirlwind marriage in 2024, when he understood there would be no room in the Ducati factory team. A divorce that nearly went through ahead of time, in the summer of 2025. Both parties took legal action. "At first they didn’t want to let me go, the only option was to go to court," Jorge Martin recounted.

After speaking with team management and setting certain conditions, they decided to handle the situation more amicably. "We talked, the relationship cracked and then it was rebuilt." Now his view of the team is very different from what it was during that tense period. "For me it’s simple: they want to win, I want to win, we all want the same thing... We’re doing our best to bring home the maximum."

There are seven Grands Prix left in the MotoGP season, and Martinator has a big chance to play. Massimo Rivola gives him two wild cards, which give him an edge over teammate Bezzecchi. "Jorge has two big advantages over Marco: one is that he’s already won the World Championship and the other is that he’s already lost it. An advantage that Marquez has multiplied by 10 or 20, because a rider’s brain registers it. Having lost a championship in a certain way, and then having won it, is a lesson you learn more through experience than theory."

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