Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin was dealt a killer blow before the San Marino Grand Prix as he was slapped with a double long-lap penalty for swapping bikes.
The reigning MotoGP champion suffered a failure before the race, which meant that he had to change machinery. Not long after he returned to the pit lane, a surprise penalty verdict was given, which insisted that he would start from the pit lane and complete two long-lap penalties.
The pit lane start was soon overturned, giving Martin a little more of a chance in the Grand Prix, but he was still punished for an Aprilia issue that was out of his hands. His torrid campaign shows no signs of giving him a break as the season approaches a close.
Martin fears he might lose a ‘super-strong’ trait in a bid to adjust to the demands of his Aprilia bike, as he struggles in qualifying. After his nightmare string of crashes earlier in 2025, Martin ‘never’ thought about MotoGP retirement, which set him back really badly.
READ MORE: Jorge Martin shares whether he could have beaten Marc Marquez this year without injuries
MotoGP fans believe Jorge Martin’s pre-race Misano penalty was ‘weird’
After getting a bit of experience on his new bike, Martin has now realised an Aprilia ‘truth’ that means his bike starts to feel worse in qualifying when he pushes. It may explain some of the gap to teammate Marco Bezzecchi in 2025.
The Spaniard was slated for an 11th-place start in Sunday’s race, but the double long-lap penalty thwarted his charge. In the end, he crossed the line 13th, and left to wonder what could have been, while fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) questioned his penalty.
“What a year for Jorge Martín. What bad luck,” said one fan, while another was bewildered by the stewards’ decision, “How is it a double long lap penalty?”
The surprise element was maintained by others, with another person asking, “What? Double long lap? For what? Weird.”
“Explain the double long lap penalty, please,” asked another fan, while another agreed, saying, “Only not understanding this penalty? What exactly did he do wrong? [It] was not his fault the bike gave up.”
And finally, one last individual doubled down on the ‘luck’ side of things, backing the 27-year-old in what has been a testing time for him.
“Martin stops on the sighting lap. So he can’t get the same bike and start from pit lane. So even if he gets the replacement and back to [the] grid, he will have a long lap penalty. Excellent luck the defending champion is having.”
READ MORE: Marco Bezzecchi in awe of the ‘amazing’ thing he’s seen Jorge Martin do behind the scenes at Aprilia
Why Jorge Martin ‘broke down’ after his best result of the MotoGP season
The best result of Martin’s season came a handful of weeks ago at Balaton Park, as he fought from the back of the grid to fourth place. It was a super performance which left him just a handful of seconds behind his teammate.
After returning to the pit lane after the race, Martin ‘broke down’ in Aprilia’s garage. He has fought incredibly hard to come back from some brutal injuries, and his result was a reward for all the hard work.
Now, he’ll be looking to round the season off in the best way possible and build some momentum heading into 2026. He wants to get back to winning races, but he’ll need to start enjoying some luck for that, first.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
