Jorge Martin has admitted that the 2025 MotoGP season has been “shitty” for him, but insists it won’t shape how his career is remembered.
Martin has endured a wretched first year with Aprilia after winning the 2024 title on a Pramac Ducati, with a series of injuries derailing his title defence.
Two separate training injuries during pre-season kept him out of action until the Qatar Grand Prix in April, only for another crash at Losail to send him back to hospital.
It wasn’t until the Czech Republic GP in July that Martin finally managed to complete a race, underlining the difficulties he faced through the first half of the campaign.
Just as he appeared to be finding his rhythm on the RS-GP25, Martin misjudged the start of the Japanese GP sprint and collided with team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, breaking his shoulder and forcing another lengthy layoff.
He returned to the paddock at Valencia on Thursday for what will be only his eighth appearance in 22 weekends, having been declared fit by the doctors to take part in the season finale.
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Qian Jun / MB Media via Getty Images
Keen to move on from a frustrating campaign, Martin described the Valencia weekend as the start of his preparations for 2026.
“I feel good and happy to be here,” he said. “It’s been a shitty year, but I wanted to put it behind me. I didn’t want to stay at home until February. I’ve worked hard to be here this weekend. My goal is to start working towards 2026; for me, this is already a test.”
Martin had high expectations for his switch to Aprilia in 2025 after joining the Noale-based marque as the reigning champion. But while Aprilia made clear progress this season, with both Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez taking race wins, Martin has yet to stand on the podium amid a campaign disrupted by injuries.
The Spaniard stressed that the difficulties of 2025 will not affect how his career is judged, insisting that his setbacks have only strengthened his resolve to come back stronger next year.
“I learned very little from last year [when I won the championship]. From this year, I’ve learned much more,” he said. “If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that I’m going to be better, I’m going to compete better, I’m going to eat better, and I’m going to train better. That’s what this year has given me, not last year.
“I’ve learned that I love this sport more than I could have imagined, because after a year like this, I could have waited until February to get back on the bike. But this shitty year will not define my career.”
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
On Thursday morning, Martin was hit with a double long-lap penalty for “riding in an irresponsible manner” and causing a collision with Bezzecchi in Japan.
The 2024 champion accepted the punishment, saying: “The penalty is understandable. I made a mistake, and it’s not the same when you’re alone as when you’re surrounded by other riders at the start.”
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