Jorge Martin, heart and speed: the tribute to Nicky Hayden and the message to the World Championship

The weekend in Austin confirmed Martin’s return to top form, and from Jerez he will aim to beat Bezzecchi and build another feat before leaving Aprilia.

Aprilia has kicked off the 2026 MotoGP season in great style; the new RS-GP is proving super competitive not only in the hands of Marco Bezzecchi, the rider who more than anyone has left his mark on its development. Jorge Martin, coming off a 2025 full of physical issues and unable to ride in the first Sepang test, is also getting increasingly comfortable with the bike.

In Austin he won the sprint race and finished second behind Bez in the main race. In the overall standings he is in second place, four points behind his teammate. Before the season started, he would have signed up to be in this position. He doesn’t want to talk about the possibility of winning the world title—understandable after only three Grands Prix—but Martinator is someone to take very seriously. He has already been a MotoGP champion and his talent is unquestionable, especially if he gets back to 100% physically.

Interviewed by DAZN, the Madrid-born rider recounted his race, which also featured a near-crash in the early stages: "I had an incredible start on the outside, a perfect strategy. Then I decided to stay behind for a few laps, which I paid for later. When I tried to pass Pedro, I realized I didn’t have that extra edge, I nearly crashed because the pressure had probably gotten too high. After that I began to feel better and to close in on Pedro. Luckily something happened to him, probably due to the pressure, because he let me through. Thanks to that I had a clear track and I played my cards, until two laps from the end when I said, ‘You’re going over the limit.’ I decided to ease off a bit, my left arm was completely done."

Martin’s left wrist is still not fully right, forcing him to strain the rest of the arm more, especially over race distance. He had no particular issues in the Sprint, but Sunday required a greater physical effort and COTA is not the best circuit to race when you’re not at 100%. Still, the Aprilia rider is fairly satisfied with his situation: "Even I didn’t expect to be at this physical level. I worked hard to get where I am. I’m not at 100% yet; those last three laps were incredibly tough. I think the most complicated part of the year is about to start now. We have to keep scoring points. In Jerez things will go back to normal; Ducati will go back to normal. We have to keep going like this, helping each other—we’re making the difference."

It’s worth noting that after crossing the finish line, Martinator paid tribute to Nicky Hayden by displaying his American stars-and-stripes flag with the number 69. A beautiful gesture for the 2006 MotoGP champion, who sadly passed away in 2017.

The Spaniard did not expect such a positive start to the MotoGP season; he thought he’d need a bit more time to reach his current level of competitiveness, but he also knows what needs improving to get even stronger: "Four podiums are incredible, they really remind me of 2024. I have to take it one race at a time, but it’s clear that we need to improve in qualifying, because that’s where victories are decided. I’m sure it’ll be a fun year. I’ve already done much more than I expected, I’ll enjoy the moment and then I’ll need to recover."

As we wrote at the beginning, Martin absolutely has to be considered a title contender. We’ll see whether Ducati will indeed react in Jerez to Aprilia’s stunning start, but he will arrive in Andalusia in even better physical shape and will try to confirm himself among the very front-runners. Even if he doesn’t want to obsess today about the world crown, he certainly wouldn’t mind pulling off another feat like in 2024. Back then he became the first MotoGP champion with a satellite team (Prima Pramac Racing); in 2026 he could become Aprilia’s first champion in MotoGP. He would make history again, and he would do it before leaving the Noale squad, since it seems everything is set for his move to Yamaha in 2027 (in his place should arrive Pecco Bagnaia, on a 2+2 contract).