Aprilia’s George Martin will be “thankful” if he can fight for the 2026 riders’ title because he has no “Plan B” to fight for the 2026 riders’ title after coming back from injury and competing with Ducati’s Marc Marquez.
Marquez He came down from the throne Martin In the year As the reigning MotoGP riders’ champion in 2025 without any opposition from the Spaniard, the latter had a year to forget. Martin started just seven of the eight Grands Prix he entered and endured three long layoffs due to injury.
Aprilia Welcome Martin to Noale before 2025 MotoGP season Although the Madrid native won the 2024 title at Pramac, he looked up to him and tried to sign Marquez after jumping on Ducati. But Martin remains to be seen Marco Bezecchi Take control of the Aprilia.
Bezeci finished third in the 2025 standings, winning the final two races in Portugal and Valencia. Now, Martin plans to enter Bezecci to compete with Ducati Marquez and Ducati Marquez. Francesco Bagnaia In addition Alex Marquez Gresini’s title fight in 2026.
Jorge Martin refuses to rule out a 2026 MotoGP title challenge if he gets fit and adapts to an Aprilia bike.
Martin enters 2026 with an all-or-nothing mentality to fight for the title again, as he thinks a championship challenge is possible as long as he gets fit and then adapts “quickly” to the new version of Aprilia’s bike. Martin missed the Sepang test. And yet qualified.
Read more: Jorge Martin set a new record for the worst MotoGP title defense in history
The first surgery on his left hand last February and his right collarbone last September did not resolve the issues, and Martin will need two surgeries this winter to address the injuries he suffered last year. Aprilia could bring Martin back at the Buriram test on February 21-22.
“I think if I can adapt well and get ready physically, I will have a chance,” Martin said As. “There is no plan. I will give everything to get back in the fight with these guys. (If I can fight with them) I will be grateful.”
“I think it depends on whether I can adapt well to the new Aprilia. If I can adapt quickly and gain confidence in two or three races, anything can happen because the bike is working well,” he added.
George Martin has revealed that this is the biggest issue that needs to be improved on the Aprilia bike.
Martin will ride a very different version of the RS-GP to the one the 28-year-old rode in the 2025 post-season test at Valencia. It will finally meet Aprilia this year. Aprilia designed an F1-esque rear wing. As part of their 2026 attack aero development plan.
Madrid-born Martin Apria is pleased with the changes he has made to his bike over the winter, as the RS-GP seems “a bit easier to ride” than what he saw Bezecichi achieve in Sebang. Bezecchi set the second-fastest overall lap and fifth-best Sprint Sim average speed.
But Martin knows there is still work to be done to adapt to the RS-GP, having competed in seven Grands Prix on an Aprilia bike so far. Especially in the year Martin recognizes that eligibility is an area that needs to be greatly improvedIn the year In 2025, he struggled to fix what he realized.
“I had a lot of problems qualifying last season, but it’s hard to train for that,” Martin said. “Once I know the bike, what it can do, and the limits, I think the lap times will come.”
“In terms of speed and torque, I’m not far behind the others. So it might just be a matter of grid position.”
He added: “I think we’re picking up where we left off, which is a good sign. I don’t want to be too optimistic, but I feel the bike is working well. It mainly depends on my adaptation. I think the bike is easier than what I tried in Valencia, so I’m happy.”
