Marco Bezzecchi makes ‘fantastic’ Jorge Martin comment ahead of his Aprilia MotoGP return

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Jorge Martin is edging closer to his MotoGP return, having been out since the Qatar Grand Prix with injury.

The Spaniard made his only appearance in 2025 thus far at Lusail. He missed pre-season and the opening three races through injury, before suffering a pneumothorax and 11 broken ribs in a crash in Qatar with Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Since then, the 27-year-old has been in a contract dispute with Aprilia as he activated an exit clause in his contract. Martin was pushing for an early departure, having been unsatisfied with the team’s bike.

But the two parties now seem to have reached an agreement, as Martin is ‘certain’ to stay at Aprilia and honour his two-year contract. Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta sealed Martin’s fate by stating that he would not grant any move for the Spaniard while he was under contract.

While the Spaniard may not have had a choice but to stay at Aprilia, he seems a lot more positive about the bike. Martin reported great feelings on the RS-GP25 in private testing at Misano as he prepares for his return to MotoGP in Brno.

Marco Bezzecchi labels Jorge Martin ‘fantastic’ as he prepares for Aprilia return

Massimo Rivola has made it clear that Martin is ‘happy to stay’ at Aprilia amid his contract U-turn. The Noale outfit will be given a huge boost by the Spaniard’s presence, especially now their dispute has been seemingly resolved.

Teammate Marco Bezzecchi has been progressing well in his absence, winning at Silverstone and finishing third at Assen. Speaking to GPOne after crashing out of the German Grand Prix from second, the Italian says Aprilia will have ‘more motivation’ with ‘fantastic’ Martin back on the bike.

“It’ll be good for him, for sure,” he laughed. “It could be a help for me too. He’s a fantastic rider, and we’ll have more data and more motivation.

“We all know Martin. It’ll definitely be nice for him to return, and for Aprilia to welcome him back. I don’t know what to expect, and I don’t even want to think about expectations. It doesn’t change much for me.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Marco Bezzecchi from net worth to race number

Jorge Martin will face serious competition from Marco Bezzecchi upon his return

Martin will be keen to get back up to speed and return to racing action after months on the sidelines. He will have extra confidence now that he knows the bike is capable of podiums and race wins.

Bezzecchi has flourished as the lead rider at Aprilia in his absence, helping to develop the RS-GP25 as they look to challenge the Ducatis. While the title is well out of reach, Martin will be eager to cause a stir amongst the frontrunners.

Rivola boldly claimed Martin would have been world champion had he been fit for the entire season. While that is perhaps quite strong, there is no denying that the 27-year-old will be competitive on the machine, as evidenced by Bezzecchi’s efforts.

However, it will not be plain sailing for the Spaniard. Bezzecchi has now surpassed Martin as team leader at Aprilia; he will have to fight hard to regain that honour.