Jorge Martin admits: "Marquez is a beast, but he helped me

After a difficult 2025 marked by various injuries and surgeries, Jorge Martin has taken off to return to the top of MotoGP. A long journey made of patience, rehabilitation, training, nerve‑wracking waits, culminating in the double podium in Brazil that repays, only in part, the tough moments of his recent past.

The Aprilia rider’s joy can’t be understood without considering the ordeal he had to face last year. After winning the MotoGP title with Ducati Pramac, he was forced to switch to the RS-GP, giving up his spot on the factory team to Marc Marquez. However, his adventure with the Noale manufacturer began in the worst possible way, with a high side during winter testing at Sepang, resulting in fractures to his right hand and left foot. A few weeks later he suffered another training injury, with a broken radius and various other fractures. Back on track in Qatar, he had yet another crash that caused eleven fractured ribs and a pneumothorax.

Another layoff followed, while the MotoGP championship moved on without him. Returning to the track at Brno, his bad luck continued in Japan, when at the start he clipped his teammate Bezzecchi and sustained a fracture to his right collarbone. He finished the season 21st in the riders’ standings with just 35 points.

During this dark period Jorge Martin found a role model to follow: Marc Marquez. The multi‑time champion from Cervera dealt with injuries and surgeries for four years, to the point he was considering retirement. Then, after moving to Gresini, he found his smile again, earned a seat on the official Ducati team, and won the MotoGP title six years after his last world crown. A key example for Jorge, so much so that in the toughest moments the two stayed in touch to support each other.

"He’s an animal; I know he wants to win everything. But honestly, on a personal level, when I decided to call him—which wasn’t easy for me because it’s not that easy between riders—I was in the worst moment of my life and he was willing to help me," the Aprilia rider told DAZN.

The double podium achieved at the Brazilian GP has a special flavor for Jorge Martin, now aware he has a bike capable of winning. "After my last two surgeries in Valencia, I trained nonstop for four or five months without missing a single day: nutrition, training, mental preparation—and in the end it’s the sum of everything. Everything has its reward, and here we are, where we deserve to be. This is the result of daily work, 24/7, thinking about one thing only: getting fast again. And we’re making it happen."

The worst is behind him; the Madrid-born rider has recovered not only the right physical condition but also his mental strength. He says it’s also thanks to a personal inner journey that brought him closer to faith. "The last book I’m reading is the Bible... you must always believe in something greater," admitted the 2024 MotoGP champion. "I was ‘locked in’ for four or five months, I didn’t miss a day: nutrition, training, mental preparation... everything has its reward."