Jorge Martin: planned Valencia retirement — he also wants to join Aprilia in 2026

Martin did not finish the MotoGP race in Valencia, but it was something decided in advance: the Aprilia rider spoke about it.

His return to MotoGP was highly anticipated, but from the outset Jorge Martin was clear in saying he was still far from his best physical condition. He had no special expectations; his goal was simply to get back on the RS-GP25, put in some laps, test the collarbone fractured in the Motegi crash, and give the team some technical feedback with a view to 2026. Tuesday is the last day of testing and his presence will be important, even if he won’t be able to push 100%.

On Saturday he reached the finish line of the sprint race, albeit in last place, while in the long race he returned to the pits at the end of lap 15. Initially it was thought to be a physical or technical problem; instead, it was a precautionary decision made beforehand. Better not to take risks; it didn’t make sense.

The Spanish rider recounted how things went in Valencia, where for a moment he had even considered making it to the finish: "At one point, before starting, I even thought about trying to finish the race - reports Motosan - but the team told me there was no other choice, that they would let me know when to come back to the pits. And I think it was the right thing to do, because I’m pretty tired. I think it’s the smartest thing for Tuesday, to be fresh and able to have a good test, because there are quite a few things to try and it makes no sense to tire myself out without drawing conclusions."

For Martin, and for any rider, it’s not easy to accept a retirement, but he knows it was the right choice; it made no sense to take risks in the last Grand Prix of the year with nothing at stake: "I’m tired, I feel a big lack of strength. But I came to do 10 laps and two long laps, and instead I did more than 100 laps on the bike. So I think it’s much more than I expected and I’m happy with the work we’ve done. When they told me to stop, I did another lap so I could wave to the fans."

The 2025 MotoGP champion is Marc Marquez, so Jorge will have to give up the number 1 and go back to using 89; he has already made the change on his RS-GP ahead of the Valencia test: "More than the number, which was obviously nice to wear, the truly great thing was winning the world championship. I don’t think the number defines me, so I’m looking forward to wearing that 89 again because I feel it’s my number, it will be a rebirth. This year has been very difficult."

Even though this past year was difficult, Martin is confident he can bounce back strongly in 2026, also because Aprilia has done important work with Bezzecchi: "For me it was bittersweet, because it was a season not to forget, but to learn from. I hope to end next year by proposing marriage to Aprilia as well. It’s clear that the bike works; in the last six or seven races it worked very well. I think together we can win." The reference to marriage concerns Bez’s playful proposal to his bike at the end of the race after his victory. He won a bet and will take his RS-GP25 home.