MotoGP, Jorge Martin's cautious return: the doctors have warned him

Jorge Martin spoke about his not-so-easy return to MotoGP: in Valencia his physical condition is not the best.

It was certainly nice to see Jorge Martin back on his Aprilia RS-GP25, but the 2024 MotoGP champion is still far from being 100%. The right collarbone he fractured in the sprint race crash at Motegi hasn’t fully healed, and that prevents him from riding the way he wants. His return is meant to help him rebuild some confidence and to give Aprilia his feedback in Tuesday’s test in Valencia.

The two-time world champion is fairly satisfied with how his Friday practice in Valencia went, even though he is third from last on the timesheets: "It went well, he told Sky Sport MotoGP — much better than I expected. I thought I’d do 10 laps, but I did more than 40 and that’s a good sign. I’m riding with a big safety margin; I don’t want any crashes — that would be a disaster for my shoulder. I’m taking it easy and trying to prepare for 2026. After 7 weeks without riding, being just over 1 second off is already great, it lets me get some work done. But I don’t want to risk anything."

Martin hasn’t even ridden a road bike in recent weeks, so it’s normal that he’s not sharp on his Aprilia RS-GP25. However, in Tuesday’s test he will try to do what he can to provide useful input to the team for development with a view to 2026: "I’m here mainly for the test. Riding now is fine, but I’m above all looking for a base setup and feeling ahead of Tuesday; it will be an important day for us. Then I’ll get ready to recover and be 100% next year."

2025 has been a very troubled year for the Aprilia rider, who now doesn’t want any more trouble: "I can’t wait for it to end," he admits, "I want to stop. Even the doctors told me that biologically my body is done for this year; it can’t take any more injuries, otherwise it will be very difficult to recover for the future. I’m here to put some miles on this bike and prepare for 2026, but without taking any risks. I still feel pain, I can ride, but I’m not at 100%. It’s important not to crash; that would be a real problem for the future."

The various injuries have heavily affected him, preventing him from showing his true value. In 2026 he will look to bounce back and win with an Aprilia that has grown a lot in this MotoGP season, with Marco Bezzecchi proving skilled at guiding the development of the RS-GP25. The bike is competitive, and it’s a shame we haven’t seen Martin in regular action.