MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Jorge Martin of Aprilia Racing saw his victory hopes at the 2026 Spanish MotoGP in Jerez fade after encountering rear grip issues during the race.
The 2024 world champion made a strong impression at the start, launching from tenth on the grid to fourth within the opening corners thanks to an aggressive and precise getaway.
The opportunity improved further when Marc Marquez crashed, promoting Martin into third and briefly putting him in contention for victory.
“I made a super start and was already fourth after a few corners. At that moment I thought maybe I could win this race,” Martin said.
However, his challenge quickly faded as rear grip issues began to affect performance, preventing him from matching the pace of the leading riders.
“After that, the feeling with the rear tyre was the worst of the weekend and I couldn’t match the pace of the podium guys,” he added.
The issue impacted not only acceleration but also braking stability, forcing Martin to manage his pace and reduce risk in the latter stages of the race.
He eventually lost a podium position to Fabio di Giannantonio and focused on defending from riders behind, including Johann Zarco and Raul Fernandez.
With team-mate Marco Bezzecchi finishing second, Martin now trails the championship leader by 11 points following the Jerez round.
He emphasised the importance of the post-race test at Jerez, where he plans to evaluate new components and work on improving rear grip performance.
“I’m really happy we have a test tomorrow. There are some parts I’m not using yet that could help, and we need to work on the setup to improve rear grip,” he explained.
With technical adjustments now a priority, Martin’s performance at the next round in Le Mans will depend on how effectively Aprilia can address these limitations.
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