MotoGP: Martin happy that he will "continue with Aprilia" in 2026
Having confirmed in a press conference in Brno that he will be staying put at Aprilia next season, Jorge Martin ended up 11th in Saturday's Brno MotoGP Spring.
The reigning champion Jorge Martin has confirmed during a press conference in Brno that he will be staying with Aprilia Racing in 2026. The Italian suffered two separate accidents during the pre-season testing which caused serious injury to his left wrist, causing him to miss the opening three rounds in Thailand, Argentine and the Americas.
Martin was replaced at those races by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori before he made his return at the race in Qatar after being cleared by a medical official.
The reigning champion started his first race of the 2025 season at the Qatar GP, albeit, on lap 14, he lost control while manoeuvring through a corner and was subsequently struck by another rider’s bike. As a result, he suffered a fractured rib. He was forced to remain in Qatar under observation until his condition improved enough to fly home.
In the wake of the Le Mans weekend, Martín announced his attention to leave Aprillia at the end of the 2025 season, a year before the expiration of his contract
However, having returned to the paddock for this weekend's Brno race, Martin confirmed in a press conference on Thursday that he will be staying with the Italian team for 2026.
Speaking in his first answer, he said: “I’m really happy to be here again. It was a really difficult 6 or 7 months suffering a lot with a lot of injuries but finally, I’m happy to be here and to be back in MotoGP. Finally, I’m happy to say that I’ll continue with Aprilia for 2026.”
Reflecting on his performance in the 10-lap Brno Sprint race, Martin noted: “I’m very happy. To be back racing is amazing. I was a bit nervous before the race.
"I was a bit scared because of the start, because I thought qualifying would be a bit better, so the position was a bit more in front. But 12th was what I could do.
“Finally, I was focused, tried to do a great start. I was on the inside, was more or less a good position, and at the first corner I was sixth, so it was great!
“Then, I tried to make laps, tried to learn. This is the moment I’m going through. Trying to make laps, trying to get confidence, and yeah, believing in the process because it’s a long way to go.
“I’m getting confidence every lap, so this was great,” he continued. “Then with the setup I finally felt that I have a limit, so now we have to push further than the limit.
“But anyway, now it doesn’t matter if I finish 11th, fourth, fifth… I don’t really care. The important thing is to make laps, to get confidence and to grow.”
Reflecting on his physical conditions, Martin said: “The body is good. It’s improving. Today, for sure, the right part of the body was tired because not only is everything right [right turns], but also the ribs were on the right side. So, I feel okay. Just need to keep rolling, keep getting confidence, and that’s it.”
