Aprilia, two-pronged attack in 2026: Jorge Martin wants to reclaim it all

With the Valencia test, a 2025 truly to forget came to an end for Martin, but Aprilia places its trust in him for 2026: will he bounce back?

Much has already been said about Jorge Martin’s season, which began as the reigning MotoGP world champion and ended with him 21st in the overall standings. Injuries before and during the championship ruined a 2025 that could have brought great satisfaction, considering his talent and what Marco Bezzecchi managed to achieve with Aprilia.

It’s precisely his teammate’s results that surely give the Spaniard motivation and confidence heading into next year. The Noale factory has taken a big step forward and in 2026 there could be an opportunity to aim even higher, although the Marquez-Ducati pairing remains the favorite.

He wasn’t at 100% physically, but his presence in Valencia was important both for him and for the Aprilia team. In addition to the last MotoGP Grand Prix of 2025, the Ricardo Tormo circuit also hosted the final test: "Finally," Martin told DAZN, "I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I was hoping nothing would happen to me, because I just wanted to go home and rest. It was a short but very intense day, we had a lot of things to test and we gathered good information for next year."

After a year full of physical problems, it’s normal that Martin couldn’t wait to finish his work on track and go home. Still, he did his best in testing the updates that the Noale team presented to him, starting with the new frame (the one Bezzecchi had already used) and the new aerodynamics: "I tried the new frame right away," he explained, "because we didn’t have time. I felt good from the very beginning. I think the first run was the best of all, the one where I felt the best. Aerodynamics? I don’t know if it’s because, riding with a margin, I’m not pushing the limits and I don’t fully understand what we’re improving."

The two-time world champion did what he needed to do and is now ready to enjoy a bit of vacation before getting back to work to prepare for 2026: "Going to Valencia was a big risk," he added, "but it was the best thing for my career and for my progress with Aprilia. The positive thing is that these two months will allow me to recover fully and not have the worry of thinking, ‘If I crash and get hurt, it could be serious.’ These two or three weeks are for switching off a bit from bikes, because I’m tired. I know it will do me a lot of good to resume training with energy—which will certainly be very intense—and arrive in Malaysia at 100%."

Aprilia knows it has a very strong Bezzecchi, and one who is ready to be even stronger next year, but it’s also aware that Martin in turn has the potential to be a major protagonist of the 2026 MotoGP championship. The Spaniard dreams of becoming number 1 again. The Noale team will attack with a two-pronged approach in 2026.