Jorge Martin, the Enlightened: "I feel protected by God

Jorge Martin remains the leader of the MotoGP championship, with six races to go. The showdown against Marc Marquez, just two points behind, promises to be tough but not impossible. 2026 could be the year of Aprilia and the second premier-class title for the Madrid-born rider. While we wait to see them back in action at Mandalika, the rider from Madrid opens up to the press.

This is the sixth MotoGP season for “Martinator,” and his trophy cabinet already includes a title won in 2024 on the Pramac team’s Ducati. But at the time, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer chose to promote Marquez to the factory team rather than the World Champion. Hence the decision to seek a change of scenery and sign with Aprilia in search of redemption. Now there’s a golden opportunity to take a sweet revenge, personally and beyond.

First in the overall standings, even though Marquez is breathing down his neck. He has the right maturity to pull it off, and a good dose of experience that has made him more mature, both as an athlete and as a man. He has certainly realized that you have to measure your words, especially in front of the media. “When you’re younger or when you don’t have much experience speaking to the press, the first thing that comes to mind slips out. And I think that’s something you need to try to improve over the years—be calmer when you say what you think.”

A second MotoGP title is a dream that could come true. Winning with a manufacturer and a team before leaving, as happened with Pramac and Ducati. Next year he’ll race in Yamaha colors, marking the start of a new adventure. But before then there’s a major challenge to face, one to believe in until the very end. “A year ago I had 24 broken bones,” Jorge Martin recalls to ‘AS’. “Six operations in a year or a few months, and now I’m leading the World Championship. It seems incredible to me.”

The tough times brought him closer to faith. The Madrid native reads passages from the Bible daily and feels very close to God… “I’ve never seen Him face to face. But I have felt close to Him. I feel protected, because very bad things could have happened to me. Things could always have gone worse than they did, and I’m grateful for life, for the position I’m in, for being able to help my family. For the fact that I wake up every day.”

And certain episodes might not be coincidental. “The other day, for example, during practice, I stopped and saw that Ogura hadn’t seen me and he went right past, brushing my leg, and then he apologized. If I hadn’t been protected, he could have hit me and broken my leg. Things can always get worse, and you have to be grateful to feel protected.”

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