Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin is a matter of days away from making his MotoGP return, over two months on from a nasty crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.
It has taken the Spaniard 10 weeks to recover from a fractured right collarbone, which he suffered during a sprint race. Unfortunately, Aprilia are used to him not being around.
Having missed 15 races this season, Martin has spent more time away from the track than he would’ve liked. His terrible run of luck started at pre-season testing in Sepang, back in February.
The defence of his MotoGP title has gone far from how he planned it would, but his team are ending the campaign on a much stronger note than they began it. It’s a promising sign.
MotoGP fans told Martin to ‘call it a season’ and not to risk putting himself through further pain with an accident in the season finale. He wants to be at the post-season test, though.
Key figure and doctor for the championship Angel Charte has ‘doubts’ over Martin’s return. He too doesn’t want to see him going through more pain this year.
READ MORE: Jorge Martin once revealed the ‘special’ reason why Valentino Rossi is his favourite MotoGP rider
Massimo Rivola thinks Jorge Martin has ‘understood’ that Aprilia is the ‘right’ place to be
Massimo Rivola ‘couldn’t believe’ Aprilia signed Martin, after Ducati opted against promoting him to their factory outfit for 2025.
Although they had a bit of a mid-season contract feud, their relationship remains strong, and things are promising heading into 2026.
In fact, Rivola thinks Martin will compete for the 2026 title, such has been his team’s rate of improvement throughout the current campaign. They might even have the fastest bike on high speed circuits now.
And the Italian boss now believes that his rider has ‘understood’ that he is in the right place, after watching teammate Marco Bezzecchi win multiple times, as well as Raul Fernandez at Trackhouse.
“I like to talk about us,” he said. “I’m absolutely convinced that Jorge’s choice was the right one. Even the one he made during the year. I think Jorge understood that he was right.
“The fact that Marco won, that he is going strong, that Raul won. In any case, these are signs to say, ‘Wow, if I had been there from the beginning, I really, really could’ve played it.”
READ MORE: Luigi Dall’Igna reveals the two ’quality’ reasons why Ducati signed Marc Marquez over Jorge Martin
Jorge Martin’s incredible four-year MotoGP streak is set to end in 2025
Now that Aprilia and Martin have a ‘pretty good feeling’, they’ll be hoping to build on their relationship with some good results together.
Sadly, it’s incredibly unlikely that they will be able to prolong Martin’s streak of having secured a podium in each of his premier class seasons.
Dating back to his rookie year in 2021, he has appeared on the rostrum in each campaign, achieving a best of fourth despite his injuries.
Arriving in Valencia following another significant setback makes a podium more of a dream to round out the year. In 2026, big things could be possible, though.
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