Jorge Martin finished eighth in the first day of the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi as a Aprilia rider and moved directly to Q2. The Spanish rider stated that last season's settings were not sufficient for this track and that they had to start from zero on Friday days.
Performance Difficulties on the Motegi Track
Jorge Martin reported that he felt good on the motorcycle during the first part of the day, but problems arose in the afternoon. The Aprilia rider said they could not reach the level they expected with the middle tire and that the bike's balance changed when switching to the soft tire.
I feel good. I was really good in the morning, but we experienced some problems with the bike later on. The conditions between morning and afternoon changed a bit. We tried to be fast with the middle tire but we were not at the level I expected. Then we switched to the soft tire.
The balance of the Aprilia changed with Martin's application of the soft tire, and he stated that it became difficult to get the highest performance from the bike during the time attack.
The bike's balance changed a bit, and despite not being fast, I lost speed in terms of speed. When we came to the time attack, we had to put everything together. There are still some problems we need to address.
Season's Basic Settings Criticized
The Spanish riders stated that the current settings were not a sufficient start for Friday days and that they had to almost start from scratch on weekends because of this.
Definitely, last season's basics are not working well for us. Therefore, it feels like we have to start from scratch on Friday days. The goal in every case was to make Q2, and we achieved that. Now we will try to go one step further tomorrow.
Martin aims to gain a better position in the motorcycle on Saturday, securing a direct chance at Q2 at the end of the day.
Analysis of Competitive Presence
Marco Bezzecchi, as the team rider for Aprilia, took the Friday session at Motegi ahead of Jorge Martin. Jorge Martin said that Bezzecchi was more competitive than himself in the third sector.
He looks a bit more competitive in the third sector. I don't feel very strong yet and I am not riding smoothly enough in that section.
Martin stated that he investigated where time loss occurred, not only with Bezzecchi but also with other competitors. The closeness of the two Aprilia riders was seen as a positive factor for team performance.
Some times he is fast, some times I am fast. Marco being close is positive because we can understand how we can be more competitive together. It will be difficult as always, but we are working to improve.
Martin expressed that he felt physically good. He also said that finishing Q2 on Friday was an important step before Saturday.
Statistics
- Jorge Martin is competing in 1st place with 313 points in the 2026 MotoGP season (Aprilia Racing Team).
- Archive: MotoGP Japan GP 2026: Criticism of the Difference Between Martin and Marquez (September 30, 2026)
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Go to sourceCompiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
