Jorge Martin, nightmare Friday in Barcelona: "With Aprilia we'll find a solution

First day in Catalunya to forget for Jorge Martin, who will also have to contest Q1 tomorrow after two crashes between FP1 and Practice.

A nasty crash in the first free practice, a second incident in Practice, and access to Q2 denied for the first time in this 2026 season. For Jorge Martin it’s a first day at Montmeló to forget; surely a very different Friday was expected after the triumphant GP at Le Mans just a few days ago. "Here I need a different bike, with Aprilia we’ll find a solution" admitted the 2024 MotoGP World Champion from Spain. The timesheets are incredibly tight: Vinales in 20th is the first rider over one second off session leader Acosta, and the Spaniard finished 17th, six tenths down.

"A slightly more complicated day" admitted Jorge Martin at the end of Friday at the Catalan track. Did the first crash in FP1 affect the afternoon? "It’s possible, it wasn’t very clear to see but it was really bad, I ended up under the bike" he told Sky Sport MotoGP. The pile-up showed the bike heading towards the barriers, with the rider following the same trajectory and ending up hitting the RS-GP—actually underneath it, as his words suggest. There was immediate talk of pain in his left forearm as a first consequence, but nothing serious in the end for the Aprilia rider, who indeed got back out regularly in the afternoon.

Even so, it certainly wasn’t an easy session. "Maybe it took away a bit of confidence under braking. I don’t think so, but the feeling wasn’t great. Tomorrow will be another opportunity to prepare for the races." Tomorrow he’ll have to tackle FP2, Q1, Q2 (if he’s among the top two), and the MotoGP Sprint. The mindset, however, seems right—evidently the results at Le Mans gave him a significant motivational boost, which now needs to be confirmed despite a rather complex Friday.

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