Aprilia rider Jorge Martin showed strong performance in the race. Martin, who was a decisive rider alongside pilot Acosta, delivered two strong performances. These performances recall the "Martinator" from the 2024 season. Martin distanced himself from Marc Marquez with his own pace and scored at least 12 points on the number 89 bike. Although he won at Motegi, he experienced poor results and disappointments in 2025. However, he fulfilled his mission for the Japan GP. Achieving an 8th place in timing means a direct entry into Q2. Time differences are noticeable. Martin had a 0.464 second gap against number 1 Alex Marquez, while teammate Marco Bezzecchi had a half-second gap. Fermin Aldeguer, who should have entered Q1 as elfter, was just one decimal second behind.
Discussion on Performance
The WM championship rider requested an interview with the media. Martin stated that the day was a bit different. While he felt good in the morning, the situation changed in the afternoon, and they could not deliver maximum performance. He expressed that the conditions changed and they could not extract the maximum. In FP1, Jorge Martin finished second to Marc Marquez.
The day was a little different, because I felt great in the morning, but not in the afternoon – the conditions changed and we could not get the maximum out.
Technical Status and Team Role
Noale, the project car pilot, assessed the technical situation. Everything looked consistent in the morning, but he stated that they could not adjust with the medium tires later on. He said that the change to soft tires altered the bike's balance and prevented further progress. He emphasized that while this situation was sufficient to reach the day's goal, it was not good to stay below possibilities. Adding that 2025 was inefficient because they started on a new basis.
Everything was set up in the morning – later I could not adjust with the medium tires. We switched to "soft" and now the bike's balance has shifted. It was not possible anymore, although it was fast enough to achieve the day's goal, but it is not good to stay below possibilities. There is still a lot of work to be done – especially since we started with a fresh basis – what was in 2025 is useless.
Race Outlook Statement
Martin stated that he viewed the Japan GP as a team mission. He admitted that Marco was very strong and faster in certain sections of the track. However, there were sections where he was faster on the track. He stated that the time differences were not very large. Martin said he would try to get into the flow more over the weekend. He noted that only his teammate Ogura and Fernandez missed the chance to enter the direct second laps.
It is good that I am close to Marco – he is very strong – but there are also sections on the track where I am faster. The gaps are not very large. I will try to get into the flow more over the weekend.
What was said: Jorge Martin stated that his performance was limited due to the difficult race conditions but that he competed as a team mission.
Figures
- Jorge Martin is in 1st place with 313 points in the 2026 [MotoGP] season (Aprilia Racing Team).
- Archive: Jorge Martin Took Pole Position (October 3, 2026)
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Go to sourceCompiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
