Jorge Martin deserves credit for using same tactic that helped Lando Norris win the 2025 F1 title

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Jorge Martin is gearing up to bounce back from one of the most difficult years of his racing career so far in 2026.

The Spaniard sticks with Aprilia for another 12 months, despite a summer contract dispute, which led to a contract U-turn.

They have proven to him that they can deliver a bike worthy of winning MotoGP races and competing with Ducati regularly.

Now, it’s down to Martin to find some form and stay on his bike if he wants to rebuild his confidence and return to the podium.

Martin feels he’s ‘always in the spotlight’ now that he’s a champion, but it’s something he has grown used to.

In fact, Martin thinks he could have fought Marc Marquez if he were still on a Ducati bike, although that feels like a bit of an ask, considering how much he dominated.

READ MORE: Jorge Martin admits he ‘didn’t really like’ Marco Bezzecchi winning amid his ‘conflict’ with Aprilia

Jorge Martin no longer uses social media like Lando Norris did to win 2025 F1 title

Even though he wasn’t competing for much this year, Martin has taken some steps to try and stabilise his approach throughout a race weekend.

Starting with social media, he has stopped looking at what his competitors are doing, which is a similar move to what F1 champion Lando Norris made this year.

“On social media, I don’t know, because I don’t really look at the other riders’ accounts,” he told Motorsport.com. “In fact, I have many of them muted because I don’t feel like seeing their posts.

“But Marc is a tougher rival on track — he’s a competitive beast and he always tries to beat you, even if it means risking crashing and losing the championship. He will always try to win the race.”

Martin couldn’t believe his crashes in 2025 and the rate at which he battled adversity. Just as he got back on his feet every time, he was knocked from his perch once again.

Mat Oxley thinks there is ‘something going on’ with Martin, who didn’t look fully healed from his collarbone injury at the last race of the season in Valencia. He was being very conservative.

READ MORE: Honda have not ‘shut the door’ on signing Aprilia rider Jorge Martin in 2027 for one clear reason

Should Jorge Martin be considered a MotoGP title contender in 2026?

While Martin expects Francesco Bagnaia to be at the ‘top’ in 2026, having faced a difficult 2025 season, he faces less of a mental hurdle than the former.

Martin had four serious accidents this year, and mentally, it’s going to take some time to get over it when he gets back onto a bike.

For a while, it will be pivotal that he avoids crashing, but to do that, he’s going to have to sacrifice some pace.

Now it depends on how much he’s willing to sacrifice to make sure he gets back to his very best one day. Another accident could really harm his career.