Aprilia's Massimo Rivola: Jorge Martin “thinking what I’m thinking”
Aprilia MotoGP boss Massimo Rivola knows Mandalika and Phillip Island could have been a great opportunity for Jorge Martin.
Aprilia’s near-perfect MotoGP performances at Mandalika and Phillip Island mean Massimo Rivola can’t help but wonder what outgoing champion Jorge Martin might have achieved if he wasn’t sidelined by injury.
Martin’s team-mate Marco Bezzecchi has won the Sprint race at both events and was the favourite for both grand prix victories.
However, he clashed with Marc Marquez in Mandalika, earning a double long lap penalty that deprived him of glory in Australia.
But he hasn’t been the only fast Aprilia.
Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez was also on the Sprint podium in Indonesia, then took his first-ever MotoGP win on Sunday in Australia, when Bezzecchi recovered to third.
“He's thinking what I'm thinking,” replied Rivola, when asked how Martin might feel seeing the Aprilia consistently at the front of the field.
“Honestly, I know he's quite special in those two tracks, Indonesia and Phillip Island.
“And I thought, okay, when we get there, he will perform and will get the confidence to reach close to the level of Marco.
“But then we know what happened in Motegi, so everything is postponed.”
Martin missed ten of the opening eleven rounds of his Aprilia career due to a succession of injuries.
He managed a best of fourth place in Hungary before a big mistake at the start of the Japanese Sprint race saw the Spaniard lose control and take out Bezzecchi, suffering a badly fractured right collarbone in the process.
Martin’s return date is unclear, but Rivola is already looking to 2026.
“At the end, this sport is brutal, and you never take anything for granted,” Rivola continued.
“You need to build the performance every single day, and just because you are a champion and are super talented doesn't mean that you [don’t] need to do all of the steps to be there.
“I think Jorge now knows very well, understands very well.
“From our side, we are all looking to being in Sepang for testing [in 2026], to have three days of proper testing with no rush, with no panic and enjoy riding with no stress about the lap time, understanding where and why Marco is so fast and understand why Raul also now is so fast.
“So I have no doubt that Jorge will fight for the championship together with Marco Bezzecchi [next season].”
Bezzecchi is now up to third in the MotoGP standings, behind only Ducati's confirmed champion Marc Marquez and younger brother Alex.
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