From P16 to P4: Jorge Martin stages an impressive comeback at the Hungarian Grand Prix – The Aprilia rider believes he is on the right track
For Jorge Martin, the MotoGP weekend in Hungary got off to a less than ideal start. Starting from 16th place in qualifying, the Aprilia rider faced a difficult task. But the Spaniard showed morale and development in both the sprint and the main race – and was ultimately rewarded for it.
Even after Saturday’s sprint, in which Martin managed to finish in the points despite his poor starting position, he was self-critical but optimistic at the same time. “Yes, I could have improved my time in qualifying a little,” he explains.
The problem was not so much his riding style as a tire that was not working optimally: “It was a shame because a better starting position would certainly have helped me. But as I said, it’s part of my process.”
Martin draws a comparison with his teammate Marco Bezzecchi, who also struggled in qualifying at the beginning: “He also struggled to really understand the bike at the start of the season. With this machine, it doesn’t work if you push too hard. You have to ride smoothly, even when time trialing.“
Nevertheless, the Spaniard emphasizes that he sees progress in terms of race pace. ”I’m not ready for the podium yet, but I have the pace to finish in the top 5 regularly. We’re getting closer, that’s the key,” he analyzes.
Already in P7 after one lap
And this was confirmed on Sunday. Starting from 16th on the grid, Martin showed an impressive comeback. After just one lap, he was already in seventh place. “I had my strategy for the first two corners clearly in my head,” he says.
“I actually wanted to stay on the inside, but then I was on the outside because the other riders were coming. So I braked on the curb, but was still able to overtake two or three in the first corner, then maybe two more in corners 2 and 3, then two more in corner 5 and one in corner 9. So I was constantly overtaking, that was the first part of the race, the first three laps.”
After that, he was able to ride at a “really strong pace,” Martin continues. Even though he didn’t always have full control of the Aprilia when braking hard and lost valuable time, he felt more comfortable with each lap.
“It’s a learning process. But today I gave 100 percent, and the result was fourth place. That’s good, especially for the team, to keep motivation high.“
Martin himself is surprised that he is so competitive so quickly, despite his Aprilia chapter still being in its early stages. ”Of course, I would have liked to have been right up there at the front in Brno or Austria, but that takes time. The important thing is that I can now build a solid base setup. I don’t want to start from scratch every time.“
Jorge Martin: ”I’m back!“
Nevertheless, he is not setting his expectations too high for the next races: ”I just want to keep learning. Today I had no expectations and finished fourth, just behind the podium. Maybe next time I’ll be on the podium or even fighting for the win. But I don’t want to rush anything.“
At the same time, Martin is certain that sooner or later he will get there. After his injury break and the temporary rift with Aprilia, he has regained enough confidence to say: ”I’m back.”
“Of course, I still need time with the bike. But I’m the same Martinator as last year. The bike has improved a lot. So it’s only a matter of time before we can bring everything together and fight for victories.”
Martin admits that the mission with Aprilia is now almost more motivating for him than last year’s title chase with Pramac-Ducati: “It’s different. Last year, I was hungry to win the title, and that was great. But when I think about it now, the challenge of leading Aprilia to victory motivates me much more and gives me more pleasure than just winning races.”
“The day I win with Aprilia will be fantastic. This project makes me incredibly proud and gives me more motivation than anything else,” said the Spaniard.
Praise from MotoGP colleagues
This has not gone unnoticed by the competition, who are impressed but not surprised by Martin’s strong performance. Race winner Marc Marquez emphasizes that Martin undoubtedly has the class and talent of a world champion.
“When he came back in Brno, he was immediately fast. He needs time, but he’ll get there. Aprilia is doing a great job, and Jorge has the talent. Sooner or later, he’ll start winning races. I think sooner rather than later,” Marquez speculates.
Pedro Acosta particularly highlights Martin’s commitment after his injury: “He was the one who worked the hardest to come back as quickly as possible. And Aprilia has probably made the biggest step forward compared to last year. It’s only a matter of time before he’s regularly on the podium.”
And, of course, Bezzecchi is also delighted with the progress made by his Aprilia teammate: “I’m very, very happy for Jorge, the Martinator. We all knew he could be fast. I’ve spent a lot of time with him and it’s incredible how hard he works at everything. He deserves this success.”
