Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin was deemed responsible for the crash that ended his Hungarian Grand Prix after just one corner on Sunday.
Martin has received a double long-lap penalty for the next race at Brno after losing control and taking out teammate Marco Bezzecchi, satellite Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez and Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer.
Clearly, the Spaniard didn’t lose any points to Bezzecchi on Sunday, but his chances in Czechia have been severely compromised. Martin finished in the top five in nine of the first 10 races this year (including Sprints), but has now suffered three crash-induced DNFs in his last five.
Both Aprilias are OUT in a five-rider crash at the start! 😲 Was Jorge Martin’s double long-lap penalty fair?
Martin, Bezzecchi, Di Giannantonio, Aldeguer and Fernandez are all out
Why MotoGP’s new grid rule could hurt Jorge Martin
Martin believes he’s better than Bezzecchi and will be confident of overturning the 20-point margin, particularly as a world champion, but an upcoming rule change could hurt him.
It emerged on Sunday that MotoGP teams have agreed to increase grid separation in order to improve safety at the start of races. The gap between each row of the grid will be extended by three metres, starting at the German GP just before the summer break.
Inevitably, there will be winners and losers, and Martin’s 2026 record suggests he will fit into the latter camp.
While the pack will naturally bunch up to a degree, the rule change clearly increases the importance of qualifying. The second row is now physically further away from the front row, and so on.
What are your thoughts on MotoGP’s latest safety rule change?
In addition to the ride-height device restrictions, grid rows will be spaced out by an extra three metres
Put simply, it will be harder to make up for a difficult Saturday at the start of a race.
Martin trails Bezzecchi 6-2 in the Aprilia head-to-head and has only started on the front row once all season. His average qualifying position is a somewhat disappointing 6.5 given the strength of his motorcycle, compared to 3.9 for his teammate.
Qualifying has arguably been Martin’s biggest weakness so far this year, and if he doesn’t address it soon, it could become all the more damaging.
He has gained 20 positions in the six Grands Prix he has finished this year, but those comeback rides are about to become more complicated.
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