Jorge Martin attracts Marc Marquez comparison that could lead to 2026 Aprilia MotoGP title charge

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Jorge Martin just experienced by far the most difficult year of his MotoGP career so far during his debut campaign with Aprilia.

The reigning champion coming into the year went through multiple horrific injuries, contract disputes, and only competed in seven events.

But Martin has ironed out the creases and now appears ready to start his proper MotoGP comeback. He has had to remain patient.

Aprilia will be thrilled if he can reach a similar level to what he was performing at while on a Ducati bike last year.

Despite the early-season issues, Martin is ‘very happy’ at Aprilia and encouraged by the direction they have taken in developing their bike recently.

However, Martin couldn’t wait to go home at the post-season test in Valencia due to fears that he might end up hurting himself further.

READ MORE: MotoGP fans react as Jorge Martin receives double long-lap penalty on Aprilia comeback at Valencia

Jorge Martin and Aprilia riders compared to Marc Marquez and Honda after Valencia test

Martin has ‘understood’ that Aprilia is the place to be, and given their form at the end of the season, has a shout at winning again in 2026.

Again, he’s less experienced than teammate Marco Bezzecchi on their bike, but a winter reset should leave him in good standing come Sepang.

The Aprilia bike proved that it was the only one capable of beating Ducati on merit this year, and there’s still room for improvement.

Mat Oxley has compared the way that the Aprilia riders, including Martin, ride the bike to that of Marc Marquez while he was at Honda.

“The thing with Martin, obviously, he is far behind, but once everybody has had two and a half months off, I think it’ll be a bit more equal, you know what I mean?” he said on the Oxley Bom Podcast.

“He’ll be going into a new season, and he should be fully fit, the collarbone should be fully strong, and that area of his body. I think everybody looks good on the Aprilia, they all look like they’re enjoying riding it.

“It kind of slightly reminds me watching Marc Marquez on the Honda. You know, he’s just over that thing, and just squeezing every last bit of performance out of it.”

READ MORE: Jorge Martin once revealed the ‘special’ reason why Valentino Rossi is his favourite MotoGP rider

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Martin is approaching the territory where crashing anymore would be a catastrophic dent to his confidence.

He needs a run of just a few races without any issues to help get him back on track. That’s when he can start to think about winning again.

The 2024 MotoGP champion spent the majority of the Valencia Grand Prix weekend and post-season test fearing another accident, which is no way to compete.

Getting through it unscathed was a bit of a win for him and helped him gather some handy information on how the bike ended the season. He’ll be able to use that in 2026.