Massimo Rivola pinpoints how long it will take Jorge Martin to ‘get his act together’ on Aprilia MotoGP return

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Jorge Martin is set to make his return to MotoGP at Brno this weekend, which will come as a much-needed boost for Aprilia.

The defending MotoGP champion has been sidelined since the Qatar GP with serious injuries. The race at Lusail has been his only appearance of the season thus far, having suffered severe crashes during pre-season.

In Martin’s absence, teammate Marco Bezzecchi has taken over as lead rider and has had to find competitive performance on his own. Lorenzo Savadori has stepped in and provided essential data during race weekends, but he has not been someone to rely on for consistent points finishes.

Recently, Bezzecchi and Aprilia have turned a corner with a win at Silverstone and a double podium at Assen, fighting Marc Marquez for the win in the Grand Prix. Now having a bike that can challenge Ducati, Martin’s return to racing action in Brno is a major boost for the team.

Massimo Rivola expects Jorge Martin to take ‘at least three races’ before he is at the front with Marco Bezzecchi

Aprilia have been taking their time with Martin, not wanting him to suffer another setback in his recovery. Martin did something unexpected in Qatar on his return when he passed Francesco Bagnaia in the Sprint, before crashing in Sunday’s race and sustaining multiple injuries.

The Noale outfit cannot afford to have that happen again and are therefore being cautious with the Spaniard’s comeback. Bezzecchi says it will be ‘fantastic’ having Martin back, but he is not thinking about expectations for his teammate.

However, Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola does have some expectations for his star rider. Speaking to Sky Italy, he says it will take up to three races for Martin to ‘get his act together’, then he wants to see him compete with Bezzecchi.

“I confirm that he’ll be back in Brno. When you have two riders pushing up front, I think our performance will improve, and Marco’s even more so, if possible,” he said.

“I think Marco has the bike really in his hands today, but he doesn’t have a reference point up front to draw on. With Jorge, we should be good at holding him back a bit in the first few races.

“I think he needs at least three races to get his act together, then I expect to see him up front with Marco and we’ll see what happens. However, I think the second half of the season will be very interesting for Aprilia.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Jorge Martin from net worth to girlfriend

Aprilia given another boost as Jorge Martin is set to honour his contract for 2026

As well as having Martin out injured for practically the entire season thus far, Aprilia also had to deal with a contract dispute with the rider. The Spaniard and his manager Albert Valera had been pushing to leave Aprilia before his contract expired in 2026.

Martin activated an exit clause in his contract, but the Noale outfit stood their ground over its legitimacy. Aprilia say the clause is invalid due to his injuries, with it since being reported that it is tied to Honda only, suggesting that it is a dream move for the 27-year-old.

Honda had allegedly offered a huge contract to sign the defending champion, but it now seems like he has had a change of heart. Martin is ‘certain’ to stay at Aprilia, having surrendered his case after returning to private testing.

Marquez says Martin made a ‘sensible decision’ by staying put. He can now properly assess the potential of the Aprilia project, with early signs being positive on the RS-GP25 since his return to MotoGP bikes.