Francesco Bagnaia gives Jorge Martin’s verdict after losing sprint victory at US GP

VR46 star Fabio Di Giannantonio took the pole for the United States GP Earlier this Saturday, however, the Italian opened the door for Bagnaia to steal the lead at Turn 1 as he raced to challenge KTM rival Pedro Acosta. There was no rival rider to catch Bagnaya till the end.

Martin won the COTA Sprint For the first recorded victory after joining Aprilia In the year After deciding to use the medium rear Michelin tire in 2025, they paid off. Bagnaia opted to fit a softer rear tyre, but the decision backfired as the Ducati rider lacked the stamina to fight Martin.

Francesco Bagnaia says Jorge Martin ‘deserves’ to win the COTA Sprint.

Martin faced a 1.409-second deficit at Bagnaia, with just two and a half laps to go in the sprint. United States GP While his Aprilia team-mate Marco Beszcic fell from P2 on lap 11, Bagnaia’s rear tire began to fail on the lap at COTA.

Read more: Everything you need to know about George Martin from money to girlfriend

Bagnaia had no answer to Martin’s late sprint pace and the Aprilia rider made it to turn 12. As the Ducati rider initially appeared to have his move covered under braking, Martin opened the door to brake and race past them both to steal the position.

The 2022 and 2023 champion was happy to see his old foe win the COTA Sprint as Martin faced off against Bagnaia, forcing the rider to win the 2024 title at Pramac, an injury-riddled year from hell over the past 13 months.

Bagnaia told him DAZNHe deserves it. Last year and the beginning of the season was not easy so he deserves it. We also suffered a little. And now that we understand what we need to do with this bike, I truly believe it can be a game changer.

Martin In 2025 he joined Aprilia as the newly crowned 2024 MotoGP champion. But his spell at the Italian factory began with a broken right and left leg at the 2025 Sepang test, a broken left hand in practice and then a career-threatening injury on his debut in Qatar.

Jorge Martin now leads the 2026 MotoGP riders after the COTA Sprint victory.

Top 10 Winners in COTA Sprint! Who was the rider of the race?

In the year Injuries ruled Aprilia Martin out of action for the first three rounds of 2025, but he suffered a hemopneumothorax and 11 broken ribs at the Qatar Grand Prix when he crashed and was suddenly hit by VR46 racer Di Gianntonio – which ruled him out for seven rounds.

When he was on the sidelines, Martin tried to end his contract with Aprilia to join Honda but failed For 2026, with fear for his life. Martin’s injuries were not over as he needed surgery after breaking his collarbone in a sprint at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Martin even had to undergo additional surgeries over the winter break to address problems with his left arm and hamstring. But Martin has now risen from the ashes and leads the riders’ standings following his victory in the COTA Sprint Race ahead of Bagnaia on Saturday.