Jorge Martin has had a particularly difficult year. Between multiple injuries and the infamous contract dispute with Aprilia's management, His nights must have been anything but restful.The "Martinator," the 2024 MotoGP world champion, knows he has a good chance of fighting at the front next season given the level of performance shown by Aprilia this season. Fabiano Sterlacchini, the technical director of the Noale-based firm, discussed his situation.
The Italian, who replaced Romano Albesiano now at Honda, previously worked for KTM in MotoGP. crash.netHe mentioned the case of Jorge Martin. « Jorge Martin's situation, clearly, has been quite a difficult journey as we have gone through several learning stages.And then he came back mid-season when Marco Bezzecchi was in really great form. And, of course, for a rider as talented as Jorge, and a world champion to boot, It's not so easy to accept having to fight to recover" he said.
Photo: Michelin Motorsport
During the season, solutions were found, and he had returned to a very respectable level considering his aborted learning period. “During the Misano tests, before his return at the Czech Grand Prix, We did some pretty interesting work with Jorge on the ergonomics side.but also on finding a base for the motorcycle, because in this sport, with the format we have, it's super important to be competitive from the very first free practice sessions. Then we arrived in Japan. I found myself in a difficult situation after that; I knew he had a problem with his shoulder and I would have liked to swim home from Japan"Because I was so upset that we had to start all over again from scratch." he continued.
Martin is not expected to return before the start of the 2026 season, so as not to jeopardize his recovery period. Be warned! It won't be easy; Sterlacchini is making that clear now. « Our goal is simply for Jorge to be at 100% by 2026.He must remain very calm and build his performance step by step, accepting the initial suffering to achieve something solid, not a result that will only come after a single race. for one reason or another » he concluded. Perhaps he was referring to that famous falling out over a clause in the contract.
What do you think of Sterlacchini's comments, and what do you expect from Jorge Martin in 2026? Tell us in the comments!
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
