Jorge Martin has made his first appearance and return to action since a devastating crash at the Grand Prix of Qatar in April.
The Aprilia rider suffered a pneumothorax and 11 broken ribs after he suffered a fall during his original return to action after missing the opening races of the season. Martin narrowly avoided disaster with Fabio Di Giannantonio and had to have special arrangements to be flown home safely to begin his recovery.
It’s unknown when he will return for sure, but with 15 rounds of the season to go, he has plenty of time to make a safe return to 100% fitness this time. MotoGP will wait for him with little on the line to achieve in the championship for the rest of the campaign.
Martin’s first Aprilia appearance was ‘not expected’ after arriving in Misano for an All-Stars event this weekend, where he decided to ride the bikes on offer only after turning up and seeing what was on show. The temptation was too strong for him.
Aprilia may replace Martin with a Moto2 rider after the revelation that he wants to exit the team ahead of the 2026 season. With a contract that runs to the end of 2026, it was a surprise that few expected after the French Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Massimo Rivola reveals Aprilia’s ‘priority number one’ amid Jorge Martin’s push for an early exit
Jorge Martin aims to return to an Aprilia MotoGP bike ‘before’ the summer
MotoGP’s summer break is less than two months away now, with the races set to come thick and fast over the next few weeks. Martin feels ‘deceived’ by Aprilia and his relationship with his current team has been damaged by rumours over what he might do with his future.
The reality is that Martin’s Aprilia agreement is ‘not common’, with a performance clause which could be activated, leading to his potential departure. Not too many riders have that sort of option in their deals.
Speaking to GPOne at the Aprilia All-Stars event, he spoke about his plans to return and when that might happen in the future.
“I hadn’t gotten on a bike yet after the injury in Qatar, and it wasn’t in the plans to shoot yesterday,” he said. But I got here, I saw all the Aprilia motorcycles in the garage, the Tuono, the RSV4, and I felt it.
“It was a good day, I didn’t go around much, only about twenty laps. I felt good, and that’s the important thing. There was a risk of falling… If it had happened, it would have been a disaster (he said laughing). But everything was quiet.
“Before the summer, I will definitely do a test, I think they are working for something, so I will definitely return to MotoGP. For a weekend at home, I don’t know yet, for that you have to be 100% fit and right now I’m not. I definitely have a busy month ahead of me to get back to [being] fine.”
READ MORE: Massimo Rivola issues surprise defence of Jorge Martin amid Aprilia departure saga
Where might Jorge Martin sign for the 2026 MotoGP season?
Martin has been linked with a few openings for 2026, but the two most likely options are that he stays at Aprilia or joins one of their Japanese rivals, who have been in the ascendancy for a while now and have massively improved their bike.
Martin has been linked to Honda amid Luca Marini’s expiring contract at the end of the season, and they have the most money to pay him of anyone that might be interested.
However, with the 2027 regulations around the corner, he might want to think a little further into the future before making his moves. Yamaha have shown encouraging signs and are investing heavily too.
Even though Alex Rins is under contract until the end of 2026, contracts are often just a piece of paper, and forming an alliance with Fabio Quartararo would be something special for the ‘Martinator’.
