When Aprilia impressed Jorge Martin: It seemed completely different

Martin wants to put a nightmare 2025 behind him and win with Aprilia: will 2026 be the year of redemption?

He was one of the most anticipated riders as the 2024 MotoGP world champion, but Jorge Martin had a year to forget. Injuries affected him and completely ruined his first season with Aprilia. He also played his part when he sensationally considered leaving at the end of 2025 to sign with Honda, but that matter is now history. Now the two-time world champion is focused on showing up in peak physical condition for the 2026 pre-season tests.

The results achieved by Marco Bezzecchi with the RS-GP25 show that the Noale factory has done a great job and has closed the gap a bit to Ducati. Being able to count on the Spaniard full-time as well, the goal will be to fight for the title next year. It won’t be easy, but before the 2027 regulation and tire change, Aprilia would like to make history by winning in MotoGP for the first time.

Interviewed by Marca, Martin spoke about his adaptation to the RS-GP25, a bike different from the Ducati Desmosedici he was used to: "I think braking is the area I need to work on the most for the future. Not so much braking itself, but the initial touch of the brake. On the Ducati I was very aggressive, whereas with the Aprilia you need to be a bit more progressive. That’s where I want to work to improve. Then, once you have the rear wheel on the ground, the Aprilia’s strength is the front end under braking. I haven’t had enough time to adapt to the bike. My riding style is very similar to what I used on the Ducati and I don’t think it’s the ideal way to ride the Aprilia. It’s a matter of time. It’s hard when you’ve been riding the same way for so many years. It’s true that the Aprilia is slightly less responsive to the rear brake, but it’s a matter of riding it and seeing how it works".

Having suffered serious injuries and been off track for a long time, the Madrid-born rider couldn’t enjoy his first year with Aprilia as usual. Certainly, looking at Bezzecchi’s data can help, but it’s also important to find your own path in terms of setup and riding style: "You always look at the best factory rider, which so far has been Marco. I’ve compared myself a lot, but braking involves many factors: setup, engine brake, corner entry angle... With Marco, we can see that I’m more aggressive with the initial touch of the brakes and then, maybe, I brake less effectively compared to when I brake in a straight line, when the bike is more stable and the brakes are more effective. Everyone has their own style, and it’s only a matter of time before each of us finds our own way to ride the bike".

On July 9 at Misano, Martin had a private test with the RS-GP25, the one he was able to do after months away thanks to the regulation change strongly pushed by Massimo Rivola. On that occasion, the Spanish rider was quite impressed by how the bike had evolved compared to when he had ridden it previously: "Braking was one of the areas where Aprilia improved the most this year. From pre-season testing or from Qatar, the bike I saw at Misano felt completely different. I think the idea ‘this bike is stop-and-go’ or ‘it works here and there’ is fading, like it used to with Honda or Yamaha. It was: stop-and-go track, Honda; flowing track, Yamaha. I think that’s gone. Now, when a bike works well, it works well on every track. That’s what Aprilia is doing now".

What Martin says is correct: Aprilia has developed a prototype that in 2025 performed well on more tracks than in the past. It’s more complete than previous models and that was a key objective that has been achieved. Clearly, in 2026 the intention is to do even better and to fight every weekend with the Bezzecchi–Martin duo. Not to forget there’s talent in the Trackhouse garage too, where Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura don’t intend to be mere spectators.