Jorge Martin’s 2026 season hadn’t gotten off to the best start; coming off injuries and with his future looking more uncertain than ever, he had even been forced to skip the crucial preseason tests. A few races later, at Assen, Jorge Martin is once again the championship leader thanks to a third-place finish, overtaking Bezzecchi—who recorded his third consecutive zero-point finish—at the end of a race largely dominated by the Spaniard until the two unstoppable Trackhouse bikes caught up.
“Six months ago, I didn’t even know if I’d be able to start the season,” Martin commented, happy with his position in the championship but realistic about expectations. “It’s an endurance race; it’s a marathon,” the Spaniard remarked on the championship dynamics, though his obvious satisfaction was evident, aware that the second half of the season has already rewarded him in the past. Clearly, the championship remains wide open, but now, in addition to having to watch out for the “Ducati beasts and Marquez,” Martin will once again find himself facing a title race against brothers on the same bike: just as he did with Ducati in the past, he’ll now have to try to repeat that success with Aprilia.
“My first thought goes out to Marco,” Martin said. “I hope he’s okay and recovers quickly; I know what it’s like to end up in the hospital on a Sunday because I’ve been there myself. I also want to congratulate Ogura and Fernandez—they did an incredible job this weekend. As for me, I’m very happy to be the championship leader. Six months ago, I didn’t even know if I’d be able to start the season; I missed the first tests. I never would have imagined leading the race for ten laps and fighting for the title. It’s a huge and incredible achievement; I’m satisfied with my performance today. Compared to yesterday, we took a step forward. I’m leaving Assen with a pole position, a fifth-place finish in the sprint, and this podium. I was leading the race, but I knew the two Trackhouse riders were closing in because, even though I was pushing hard, the gaps remained the same. I knew Raul would try to pass, and then Ogura came up as well. I rode my own race, but at that point, I didn’t have anything left to fight with.”
How did the two Aprilia Trackhouse bikes make the difference?
“I was in the lead, and when you’re in the lead, everything works better. Then, when they passed me, the problems started. I tried to chase them down, but they didn’t make any mistakes. They were both very competitive in the fast corners, so now I need to figure out how to improve. I think I’ve lost a lot of laps on the Aprilia, and I’m still going through that process of adapting to the bike.”
Ogura, in particular, seems to have a different riding style.
"Honestly, looking at the data, we’re all very close—the differences are just a few thousandths here and there, but we’re all very similar. When you watch Ogura, though, it’s strange, because it looks like he’s about to crash at every corner, yet the bike stays upright! Maybe that’s why he’s so fast in the final laps."
Did you get a chance to see Bezzecchi’s crash? What do you think about it?
"We’ll look at the data, but I think that with these bikes, when you’re following another rider, you lose downforce, which makes things harder than in the past. I think he was close to Marc. But it was early in the race, so I’m not sure."
Now you’re the new leader of the world championship—a nice confidence boost.
"It’s crazy to be in this position. I’m really focusing on myself, trying to improve my feel for the bike, and these results are the outcome of that. I don’t focus too much on the results— more on the feel and how I can improve from here on out until the Sachsenring. It’s a track I really like, and I hope to enjoy it on the Aprilia. I’m definitely still missing something, and I’ll try to improve."
You’re as consistent as you were in 2024—is that an extra source of motivation?
"I think motivation is overrated; I’m not always motivated, but the important thing is to wake up every day trying to be better. Every year is different, and we have to approach 2026 just as we did in 2026."
After your experience in 2024 and your time in the hospital in 2025, do you feel you have a better handle on the title race than your rivals?
"I can’t compare myself to anyone. Experience certainly helps, but everything helps. Having fought for the title in 2023, the experience of 2024, the hell of 2025—it all teaches you something. The important thing is to keep wanting to win; if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here. But it’s also a matter of speed. If you have it, you can compete in the race; if not, you can’t. If we make it to the final races and I have a chance, it’ll mean we’ve worked hard and been competitive. If I find myself in that situation, we’ll take some risks, but right now I’m just trying to get the most out of every weekend—and today was one of those days because I didn’t feel like I was the fastest.”
The rift with Aprilia was also part of this journey.
“Everything that’s happened in my career— last year I had to mature very quickly. There was a rift with Aprilia that we forced ourselves to mend, and now we’re on good terms again, even though we know we won’t be together in the near future. We have a great opportunity, so it’s important to be united; it’s the only way to take on a beast like Ducati or Marc.”
According to the statistics, over the past 28 years, the championship leader at Assen has gone on to win the title 22 times.
“Honestly, statistics mean nothing to me; I’m not interested in them. It was certainly important for me to be close to the summer break, because the second half of the championship has always been good for me. But the championship is still long, and we’re taking it one race at a time.”
We’re almost at the halfway point of the championship; it’s a very wide-open world championship. Who do you see in the title fight?
"It’s all still very wide open, but you haven’t won it until you actually win it. The championship is an endurance race—it’s a marathon—and we’re not even halfway through. Among these riders, there are already some champions with more experience and others with less. As I’ve already said, for me the important thing is to be fast and have what it takes to fight when the time comes.”