Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin is fighting to be fit for the start of the MotoGP season. The expectation is that the world champion will be ready for the Thailand Grand Prix at the end of next week.
But even if Martin does make it to Buriram, it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to ride at an elite level. He missed almost the entirety of pre-season testing after an accident on the first day at Sepang.
Martin suffered fractures in his right hand and left foot, forcing him to return to Europe for surgery. His rivals, aside from VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio, will enter the season far more prepared after five days of running.
The Spaniard sustained the injuries in a violent highside on the exit of turn two, just 14 laps into his first 2025 outing. His visor broke as he landed on the tarmac, but he appeared to escape a concussion.
Aprilia entered the 2025 MotoGP season with huge excitement after the signing of Martin. But his accident immediately shattered that optimism, with teammate Marco Bezzecchi trying to slowly rebuild it afterwards.
Some Aprilia figures are calling Jorge Martin ‘impetuous’ after crash
According to a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, there is ‘still tension’ at Aprilia over Martin’s crash. The ‘general opinion’ is that it was caused by his rear tyre.
Aprilia have been at odds with Michelin, MotoGP’s tyre suppliers, ever since. In the public domain, they’ve absolved their superstar rider of blame.
But in private, there are discussions over Martin’s ‘impetuosity’. Some feel he rode in a careless fashion that was ‘certainly not necessary’ at this stage of the season.
Bezzecchi had to take on a greater load in his absence. Aprilia also turned to their test rider Lorenzo Savaodri.
Massimo Rivola has told Jorge Martin to expect one big issue on his MotoGP return
Peter Bom says Martin was ‘asking for trouble’ in Malaysia. He’d suffered a less serious off at the first corner shortly before, but didn’t heed the warning.
MotoGP’s tyre rules are likely to change after the accident, however. Michelin reported that the internal temperature was below the normal working window – an explanation Aprilia reject.
But that would offer little consolation to Martin, who may spend much of the season chasing the losses of testing. He can and will study the data, but that’s nowhere near the same as riding the bike himself.
Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola has warned Martin that Bezzecchi will be difficult to beat when he returns. The Italian rider steadied his new team with commendable performances.
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