Jorge Martín is opening up about his tumultuous journey in MotoGP, revealing that at times he still feels like a rookie on the Aprilia, despite his undeniable talent and ambition. After a disastrous debut season with the team marred by injuries, the 2024 world champion faced a grueling challenge, participating in only seven out of 22 races in 2025 due to a staggering four injuries, two of which occurred even before the season officially began.
This disrupted campaign severely hampered Martín’s ability to adapt to the RS-GP, the bike he transitioned to from Pramac Ducati during the off-season. The result? A disappointing season that saw him finish in the top five only once.
The recent Valencia test provided a much-needed opportunity for Martín to get acquainted with his machine in a low-pressure setting, allowing him to evaluate a new fairing and chassis package that could potentially be used in 2026. But despite logging an additional 52 laps at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, the Spanish rider confessed that he still struggles to find complete comfort on the RS-GP.
“Riding more with the Aprilia is always good. I gain confidence, but for me, sometimes I feel like a rookie with this bike because I have a hard time understanding different things, or when we change things, like the fairing,” he candidly remarked.
Martín highlighted that the new chassis was a significant improvement, making the bike feel more natural and aligned with his riding style. However, he emphasized that understanding the fairing remains a challenge. “We still have to have some meetings to understand what to test in Malaysia because we ended the season with very good feelings, and improving that is really difficult.”
The rider from San Sebastián de los Reyes has acknowledged that fine-tuning the ergonomics of the Aprilia is a task that typically takes place during pre-season testing. He aims to rediscover his strength when exiting corners, a critical aspect of racing where he has previously excelled.
“I’ve tried different tanks, different footpegs, and I’ve also taken some positive aspects from that, but it was also a big confusion for my riding style, and we had very little time to test, so we went back to the standard. But in Malaysia, I will change the footpegs to better suit my style with the Aprilia because traction is still a big problem for me coming out of the corners. Normally, that’s my strongest point, but I can’t extract all the potential from the bike, so that’s where I want to focus.”
In a notable turn of events, Martín did not complete the GP of Valencia, withdrawing after 15 of the 27 laps as part of a pre-arranged agreement with Aprilia. Although he was cleared to return for the last race of the 2025 season, he was still feeling the lingering effects of a collarbone injury sustained during the Japanese Grand Prix.
After the Valencia test, Martín reflected on the challenges he has faced since returning to a MotoGP bike just seven weeks after his fall in Motegi. “I just need to recover. Not feeling pain is the main thing,” he explained. “When I ride, I still feel pain in my back, ribs, hand, collarbone, and shoulders.”
“Riding like this is very difficult—much more than I expected. I still think I’m missing five or six tenths to be competitive, so I need to understand the bike a bit more. Once I feel 100% with my body, I can ride and take more risks. Also, mentally, when you’re riding with this margin to avoid crashing, you can’t build confidence,” he concluded, leaving fans eager to see how he will rise to the occasion in the upcoming season.
