Austin GP, Jorge Martin admits: "Sometimes I don't understand Aprilia"

Martin faces physical and technical concerns after MotoGP practice in Austin: it might not be an easy weekend.

The Circuit of the Americas is one of the most demanding tracks from a physical and technical standpoint, and arriving there right after another Grand Prix isn’t easy, especially for riders who still aren’t at 100% physically. One of them is Jorge Martin, who felt some pain in his left hand (injured in 2025) after the Brazilian Grand Prix. He would have needed to rest, but he had to fly to the United States, and on the first day of MotoGP practice in Austin he did fairly well: third time in FP1 and seventh in the pre-qualifying (he also had a harmless crash). Securing direct access to Q2 is no small feat. Clearly, we’ll have to see how he holds up physically in the Sprint and especially in the long race.

The two-time world champion highlighted the two main physical challenges, knowing it will be a tough weekend, especially when it’s time for the long race: "It’s going to be tough, as I feared. On Friday morning I felt good, Speedweek reports — but then I had some issues in the afternoon. I also fell on my left side. I struggled to find a good feeling. It was a difficult afternoon for me; luckily I only have one long run to do on Sunday. If I take painkillers, it should be fine. Under braking to the left, if I put all my weight on the left side, I have difficulty. Direction changes aren’t the problem."

Martin confirms he isn’t at peak physical form and will need to rely on painkillers to avoid excessive issues. He’ll need to grit his teeth before leaving Austin and rest for a few weeks. The next MotoGP Grand Prix will be at Jerez on the weekend of April 24–26. He should arrive in Spain in better condition.

Like his teammate Marco Bezzecchi, the Spanish rider also points out that with the soft tire the Aprilia RS-GP26 is a bit nervous; it moves significantly more compared to when the medium compound is fitted: "We’re not in a good place with the soft tire: it feels like a completely different bike. It constantly tends to push the front wide, and that’s why I crashed. The extra grip after Moto2 made everything even harder. I’m confident for Sunday, but Saturday is an unknown."

Martin hopes the team can improve his situation ahead of Qualifying and the Sprint, where being dialed in with the soft tire will be crucial: "Sometimes I just don’t understand the Aprilia. One minute it pushes the front too much, the next it slides. I don’t know what I need from the bike. That’s why I have an incredible team that analyzes everything; they’ll figure out how to help me with the soft tire on Saturday. On Friday I even tried the medium tire during qualifying, because I couldn’t find the right feeling with the soft." FP2 will be a hugely important session to iron out the existing flaws. It might be harder to see him back on the podium in Austin, but the 2024 MotoGP champion will give his all to achieve the best possible result.