Jorge Martin explains why he’s stopped winning on Aprilia MotoGP bike

Jorge Martin believes his recent dip in form on the Aprilia MotoGP bike is down to set-up being “quite far away” from what he started the season on.

The 2024 world champion looked like he was threatening to become Aprilia’s benchmark rider in the early stages of the season, following a sprint victory in the USA, followed by a double at the French Grand Prix.

But since a brace of second-place finishes in Italy, Jorge Martin’s form has dropped away, with just one podium to his credit in the four rounds after the Mugello round.

Martin was 11.3s off the lead in fifth in Sunday’s German Grand Prix, though he has extended his championship lead to 14 points in the absence of team-mate Marco Bezzecchi.

But he struggled all weekend to get on terms with the Trackhouse duo, having also been overhauled by them while leading at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Asked what he has to do to get back to winning form, Martin suggests moving back towards the set-up that worked earlier in the season and not making so many changes to it.

“I think now we are quite far away from the bike we used in the first part of the season in Austin, in Brazil, in Le Mans,” he said.

“I see that the other riders are more stable with their bikes. They know what they have, and they just go.

“From my side of the box, we are always trying to adapt the bike to the different track to try to help me, but maybe this is not the way for the Aprilia, so we need to understand this.

“I think just analysing when I was fast what was working, and when I'm slow what is not working, and then start the second part of the season in that direction.

“That's it. Hard work during the summer, not a lot of rest days, honestly, and try to be stronger in the second part of the season.”

He added: “I think Barcelona, maybe after so many crashes, something clicked, but then Mugello was super strong.

“Hungary was a difficult weekend, then I had this problem in my back, and maybe from that point I started to lose a bit of confidence, but today was not about confidence; it was about the limit.

“We need to move a bit forward the limit, because it's not that I don't feel confident, it's that I lose the front.

“We need to work on that, and maybe work on my style, and try to understand how to be faster.”

“It was like 2024…”

Martin fended off a late charge from former title foe Pecco Bagnaia on the Ducati during Sunday’s German Grand Prix, leading him home by just 0.123s in fifth.

The Aprilia rider remarked that it reminded him of his battle with Bagnaia in 2024 at the Sachsenring, though this time he was focused on “not making the same mistake” he did then when he crashed.

“For sure, solid weekend finishing, that is important, always to finish,” he said.

“I took the maximum points that I was able to. Anyway, we are really far away from the rest and really far away from the other Aprilias.

“From one side, this is good because it means that the bike is working, but there is something that we are not understanding well.

“We need to understand during this summer break to start the second part of the season a bit stronger.

“Overall, it was a difficult race. I managed all the way through. I did my maximum.

“I was able to keep Pecco behind a bit like ’24. Two laps to go, I tried not to crash, not making the same mistake.”