Jorge Martin Questions Catalunya MotoGP Safety

Jorge Martin questioned safety standards at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after suffering a heavy crash during Friday practice at the 2026 Catalunya MotoGP. The Aprilia Racing rider admitted the incident immediately reminded him of the fatal Luis Salom accident at the same venue.

Martin suffered a high-speed fall during Friday morning practice after losing the front of his Aprilia RS-GP at Turn 12. His bike flipped before impacting the air fence, while the Spaniard slid into the same area moments later. Although visibly shaken, Martin was able to walk away from the gravel trap and later returned to the circuit for practice starts.

Turn 12 at Barcelona remains one of the most sensitive corners in MotoGP safety discussions following the fatal crash of Luis Salom during the 2016 Moto2 event. While the layout was modified after the accident, Martin’s crash has again raised concerns about run-off dimensions and air fence positioning for the current generation of MotoGP machinery.

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"I'm feeling fine after the scare of this morning's accident. I was lucky because it was a dangerous fall and I was very frightened," Martin told Motorsport.com.

"It's very dangerous to fall there. I don't like to say it at all, but when I fell I thought of Luis Salom. Luckily, my bike flipped over and I hit the fairings, not the handlebars. They need to improve safety at that spot," the reigning MotoGP world champion added.

Martin also crashed again during the afternoon practice session, this time at Turn 2. The second fall left him outside the top ten, forcing him into Qualifying 1 on Saturday. The situation represents a significant setback for Aprilia after Martin arrived in Catalunya carrying strong momentum from his recent Le Mans victory.

From a technical perspective, low morning grip levels combined with the aggressive braking characteristics of the RS-GP are understood to have contributed to the first crash. Catalunya remains one of the most physically demanding circuits for front tyre load management, especially through the final sector where riders carry high corner speed under prolonged lateral stress.

Martin’s accident has also reignited wider discussions about modern MotoGP safety requirements at traditional European circuits. With current MotoGP bikes producing higher aerodynamic load, greater acceleration, and more aggressive ride-height systems, several historic run-off areas are increasingly being questioned under current performance levels.

Although Martin escaped serious injury, his Catalunya weekend has become considerably more complicated after dropping into Q1 amid a tight championship fight. Aprilia is now expected to focus heavily on front-end stability and braking consistency ahead of both the sprint race and Sunday’s grand prix.