Marco Bezzecchi
After what proved to be a devastating crash at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, Jorge Martin had to put in a lot of work to come back better than ever.
Few would have expected Jorge Martin to start the 2026 season on fire as he has after spending most of last year on the shelf.
Martin is currently just four points behind his Aprilia teammate, Marco Bezzecchi, in the championship race.
You’re a MotoGP team boss and you can either sign Marco Bezzecchi or Jorge Martin
Who would you go for?
While Aprilia will be rooting for Bezzecchi over Martin in their title fight, there is no denying that the Spanish rider has a strong chance to win the world championship.
Martin said that he’s a better rider now than he was in 2024 when he won the world championship with Ducati. However, a lot of his improvement has come thanks to him maturing after his crash in Qatar last year.
READ MORE: Aprilia mechanics were once ‘ashamed’ of their MotoGP project turning up to race weekends
Jorge Martin credits ‘matured’ approach to improvement as a rider since returning
In an in-depth interview with Diario AS, Jorge Martin revealed that he has a new approach to racing as a rider, one that is informed by his maturity.
While Martin was a lot more open to taking risks as a younger rider in pursuit of winning, he now just wants to be the best rider he can be, relying on his experience to find success.
“I’ve matured a lot, it’s made me enjoy or see other aspects of life. As a rider, it’s clear that now I always avoid unnecessary risks.
“When you’re younger, you do go a lot by instinct, and as you get older, you find speed using that experience without being so aggressive, trying to know when it’s time to push, when it’s time to take it easy; it’s something I try to stay very focused on.
“I’m the same as always (on a personal level), but I’m definitely a better rider than I was before, that’s 100%. I’m more mature, I have more experience, I’m going faster, and it’s clear that I hope to keep improving; that’s my daily goal.
“And I don’t focus on winning; I focus on being better every day so that the final result is a consequence of all that work.”
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Jorge Martin reveals he never considered retirement from MotoGP after Qatar GP crash
Speaking earlier in the interview, Martin admitted that he was focused on making a return to MotoGP the moment he got injured, and retirement was never an option.
“Retirement has never been on my mind. If that thought ever crossed my mind, it was because I couldn’t ride a bike anymore, not because I wanted to retire. I never wanted to do it, I never thought about 2025, and here I am back. Well, not really back, because I never left.
“Everything I’ve done to recover and come back is because (MotoGP) is the meaning of my life. I believe I was born to be a rider, I’ve become a rider, and I wasn’t going to give up when I encountered obstacles.
“On the contrary, I was going to try to overcome everything. From the moment I was in the hospital, I always thought about getting through it. It’s clear that at some point in my life this will end.
“But right now, I think I have many, many years left, and I would do it all again if it happened again. To be back riding motorcycles and feel that adrenaline rush every day I get on a bike.”
Not only has Martin returned, but he is performing at an elite level right now. With Martin joining Yamaha next year, he has the chance to end his Aprilia tenure with a championship win.
Martin could also be Bezzecchi’s worst nightmare in this title race, as their internal feud could open the door for another rider like Marc Marquez to swoop in and take the title for himself
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