MotoGP, breakaway as No. 1: Jorge Martin tries again

Trackhouse riders ahead at Assen, but the Martinator can still be happy with how his GP ended: does he become the favorite for the World Championship?

Jorge Martin would have gladly signed to leave the TT Circuit as the new leader of the overall MotoGP standings. The overtake on Marco Bezzecchi, who retired from the race due to a frightening crash, has happened. Now he’s ahead of everyone, with a 7-point lead over his teammate. There are still many Grands Prix to run, a full twelve, so the road to glory is still long. But compared to the rider from Rimini, the Martinator has already won a MotoGP world title and his greater experience could make the difference.

Clearly, the title fight can’t be reduced to the two factory Aprilia riders. The top five in the standings are covered by 40 points: Fabio Di Giannantonio, Ai Ogura, and Marc Marquez absolutely must be taken into account. Raul Fernandez (-55), Pedro Acosta (-60), and Pecco Bagnaia (-63) are further back, but with so many points still up for grabs, never say never.

Martin won the MotoGP crown in 2024 with the Ducati of the Prima Pramac Racing team. He defeated Pecco Bagnaia of the factory Ducati squad and became the first rider of the MotoGP era to be crowned champion while racing for a satellite team. It’s true that he and Pramac enjoyed excellent technical support from Ducati: Paolo Campinoti’s team was factory supported and the bike was identical to Bagnaia’s. But it’s well known that a factory team always has something extra in terms of personnel and resources.

The Madrid-born rider, also capitalizing on Pecco’s numerous crashes, managed something unique in his final year with Pramac, which was itself in its last year with Ducati. He signed with Aprilia and Campinoti with Yamaha. Aprilia has never won a MotoGP title, therefore the Martinator once again has the opportunity to write a page of history.

As happened in 2024, the Spaniard could win the championship with one brand and then take the number 1 with him to another. It’s now well known that he will leave Aprilia and sign with Yamaha. It isn’t official yet, but the announcement should be released shortly.

Admittedly, it would be a bit striking to see the number 1 on a Yamaha, the manufacturer that has been the worst on the MotoGP grid over the past two years. But Martin would be fully entitled to display it on the front fairing of his future bike. Before thinking about that, however, there are many races to tackle with maximum focus.