Jorge Martin believes it’s attainable he might have taken the struggle to Marc Marquez if he had been racing a Ducati within the 2025 MotoGP season.
Martin went from feeling on high of the world when he was topped MotoGP champion in November 2024 to dealing with a real nightmare defending the crown this yr, with 4 accidents and the identical variety of surgical procedures leaving him on the sidelines for main chunks of the season.
The Spaniard, who left Pramac Ducati to hitch Aprilia in 2025, was solely in a position to begin eight race weekends, participate in seven grands prix and cross the end line in 4 of them in a bruising season.
Martin first obtained a setback when he fractured his foot and hand initially of pre-season testing in Sepang in February. When he was prepared to begin his marketing campaign correctly on the season opener in Thailand, he was injured once more whereas testing his power on a supermoto bike.
After lacking the primary three races of the season, he lastly returned to motion in Qatar, however picked up his third damage of 2025 after being run over by one other rider.
It was certainly his worst damage and the one which affected him essentially the most this season. Because of this, he was out for seven grands prix, returning on the finish of July on the Czech Republic GP, as soon as the primary half of the season was already over.
After 5 successive appearances, he crashed initially of the dash race in Japan and acquired injured once more, lacking your entire Asian-Oceania tour in consequence.
The Spaniard reappeared on the remaining spherical of the season in Valencia, the place he retired feeling the results of inactivity and, above all, to save lots of power for the post-race take a look at.
“I’m one of many 5 reference riders in MotoGP”
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Workforce, Marc Marquez, Ducati Workforce
Photograph by: Lluis Gene / AFP through Getty Photographs
In Misano, simply earlier than the Japanese GP, Motorsport.com was in a position to converse to Martin in a wide-ranging interview. One subject mentioned was the way it feels for his ego to go from being on the high of the world to fading out of the media highlight and barely being talked about.
“It hasn’t affected me in any respect, I really feel like I’m at all times within the highlight. I at all times say it, for one motive or one other, I’m at all times in every single place, whether or not it’s the interview on El Hormiguero, or La Resistencia, or [about] Aprilia, or I get injured, or I come again…,” he stated.
“I really feel that I’m one of many reference riders, along with Marc [Marquez], Fabio [Quartararo], Pecco [Bagnaia] and Pedro [Acosta]. The 5 of us are the riders who’re at all times there.
“I hope to maintain being there, however not out of ego— I don’t care whether or not folks discuss me or not — however I really feel that it’s that means. We [the five of us] are type of the spearhead.”
When Ducati selected Marquez for the manufacturing facility group in June 2024, it provided Martin the possibility to remain at Pramac with an identical equipment to the #93. However he turned it down and went to Aprilia as an alternative.
It’s purely hypothetical to marvel what may need occurred if he had stayed on a Desmosedici GP, but it surely’s attainable the season might have performed out in another way.
Requested if he might have fought the Marquez brothers for the title if he had been racing a factory-spec Ducati at Pramac in 2025, he stated: “We’ll by no means know. However Alex Marquez’s season and looking out on the race instances this yr in comparison with these of 2024, I feel I might have fought.
“Clearly, I might have given 100%, and I feel that 100% would have been sufficient to struggle — I’m not saying to beat Marc, as a result of that’s unimaginable to know now, possibly we’ll know later. As a result of what Marc has accomplished this yr is one thing outrageous.
“However I contemplate myself robust and I feel that, protecting the identical bike for an additional yr and with extra expertise, I might positively have fought. However that’s one thing we’ll by no means know.”
“From a media standpoint, what Marc says carries loads of weight”
Podium: Worldchampion Marc Marquez, Ducati Workforce
Photograph by: MotoGP
Marquez has been practically unbeatable on monitor this yr, and he additionally has the largest following on social media, the place Martin’s earlier reply will certainly spark reactions from the Catalan’s legion of followers.
“On social media, I don’t know, as a result of I don’t actually have a look at the opposite riders’ accounts,” he stated. “The truth is, I’ve a lot of them muted as a result of I don’t really feel like seeing their posts.
“However Marc is a more durable rival on monitor — he’s a aggressive beast and he at all times tries to beat you, even when it means risking crashing and dropping the championship. He’ll at all times attempt to win the race.
“From a media standpoint, what Marc says at all times carries loads of weight and loads of energy. He has lots of people behind him who help him. However greater than his power on social media, it’s how what he says can have an effect on you in a press convention. To struggle towards the most effective Marc, it’s important to be very nicely ready.
“However I’ll additionally inform you that the most effective Marc goes to make me a greater rider, as a result of the higher he’s, the higher I’m going to should be, as a result of I’ll be following in his footsteps and studying from him. So hopefully we are able to struggle sooner or later.”
Martin is satisfied that his unhealthy luck this yr was not because of the #1 on the entrance of his bike and is assured that he’ll be capable of win a title once more.
“I’ll put on [#1] once more. Eventually, I’ll put on it once more,” he stated.
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