Jorge Martin: “I’m more relaxed, everything is clear”

Jorge Martin says he feels “more relaxed” heading into this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix after an intense return to racing in Brno and confirmation he will remain with Aprilia for 2026.

The reigning MotoGP champion, who missed most of the first half of the season through injury, reached the grand prix chequered flag for the first time this year with seventh place in the Czech Republic.

That result came after a weekend of set-up and riding style changes that allowed him to get close to the mid-race pace of the podium contenders.

“I’m feeling great,” Martin told MotoGP.com ahead of this weekend’s Red Bull Ring round.

“For sure, my hand is still not 100%, as usual, I think it will be like this all year, but in terms of physical condition I feel great. I feel more prepared than Brno.

“I took profit of the summer break to train a lot, to be a bit better here, and yeah, it’s also a nice track for me and we will try to do a great job.”

Martin admitted that Brno had been a demanding round on and off the bike, as he faced the media after months of speculation over his 2026 future.

“Brno was tough. A lot of media stuff. Now I feel more and more relaxed. Everything is clear. I know we will continue together with Aprilia and we are focused on our same goal for the future.

“So now it’s time to put our head down, to keep working, keep improving, keep learning each other and trying to be the most competitive we can.”

The Spaniard arrives in Austria, where he holds the MotoGP pole record and has four premier-class podiums, including Sprints, looking to continue closing the gap to team-mate Marco Bezzecchi.

The Italian has been on the rostrum four times in the last six events, plus a victory at Silverstone, and sits fourth in the standings as the top non-Ducati rider.

For Martin, the priority this weekend is refining his base set-up rather than chasing a specific result.

“We will see during the weekend. It’s difficult to expect something,” he said. “For sure the important thing is to keep improving, to keep working on our base set-up, because we still don’t have it, and just give our 100% and let’s see what it can bring us.”

Martin has previously said he is targeting podium finishes before the end of the year.

Aprilia’s best result at the stop-and-go Red Bull Ring is a third place by Aleix Espargaro in last year’s Sprint.