“I knew it was right to stick to our position,” says Massimo Rivola after Jorge Martin’s comeback in Brno – What he hopes for the future
For Aprilia, the race weekend in Brno was peppered with several highlights. Jorge Martin celebrated his comeback and announced that he would remain with the Italian team until 2026. On Sunday, three Aprilias finished in the top 10, with returnee Martin in seventh place.
It goes without saying that Aprilia racing boss Massimo Rivola is satisfied. “I think consistency always pays off. Hard work always pays off. Perseverance always pays off,” he emphasizes, looking back on the past few months, which have not always been easy.
“It’s simply a matter of respecting the company’s philosophy and ideas and seeing them through to the end.” The relief at Martin’s turnaround is palpable. The fact that he even referred to the team as “family” upon his return also visibly moved Rivola.
“Yes, I was there when he said that. It was very nice to hear.” At the same time, he emphasizes: “This is probably the last time I’ll say anything about it. Now we’re looking ahead.”
You always have to be aware of what an athlete like Martin goes through when he’s injured for months and can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. “Especially someone like Jorge, who is an extremely active person,” Rivola said sympathetically.
Rivola: It was right to stick with Martin
Nevertheless, the team knew that it was right to stick to their position, also for Martin’s sake. “Now I’m happy to see him smiling and already looking quite confident on the bike. He’s not far off, even if the last step in terms of performance is the hardest.”
But now we can look ahead positively together. The dispute? That’s already water under the bridge. “The rule now is: never look back. That’s kind of my motto, which I learned from my friend and former boss Stefano Domenicali. Everyone has to internalize that we have to look ahead,” said Rivola.
Both sides worked successfully over the weekend in Brno to ensure that this is possible. “Of course, the first day was a bit cool, in a way. But that was to be expected,” admits the Aprilia boss.
“Seeing him smile again, seeing him gain confidence, seeing people give him genuine hugs, he will appreciate that more and more in his team.”
Internal team duel after the summer break?
Rivola believes that it was crucial for Martin to be able to race before the summer break. “Now he has three weeks to train, reflect, and process his impressions. I think what we’ve done will pay off.”
But he also warns: “A difficult moment will come, especially when it comes to the last tenths. Even for a champion like Jorge, it’s not easy. And when that moment comes, it might be Marco who is frustrated,” he says, referring to the internal team dynamics with Marco Bezzecchi.
“But we wanted exactly this situation, with two great riders pushing each other,” says Rivola, who sees the current rider line-up as very beneficial.
Rivola also believes that Aprilia is well positioned for the second half of the season from a technical standpoint: “We haven’t done much testing because our test rider has been racing. But now we’ll have a little more time to work on the small details.”
The Aragon test was a key moment. They brought a lot of new parts and gained a better understanding of the bike. “And the good thing is that every time we try something new, it works. That gives us momentum not only for the end of the season, but also for 2026,” says Rivola, praising the work of his team.
