How Martin has gone from hell to heaven in just one year 

On 13 April, it will be exactly one year since Jorge Martin was given a second life. It happened at Hamad General Hospital in Doha, following a terrifying accident in which he was left lying on the racing line and was struck by Fabio Di Giannantonio’s Ducati, with Italian having no chance to avoid the impact. The damage to Martin’s body was so severe that the then world champion seriously considered hanging up his leathers and helmet for good.

After nearly two weeks in hospital in Qatar, Martin was cleared to fly home, where, step by step, he progressed through a recovery process that, one year later, has brought him back to his very best level — the same level that saw him crowned world champion the previous year while racing for a Ducati satellite team, in a duel with Francesco Bagnaia, then the flagship rider of the Borgo Panigale brand.

‘Martinator’s’ comeback began on the mental side before anything else. To regain his composure, it was essential for him to break the link with the bike that had caused him so much harm, despite the Aprilia proving highly competitive in the hands of Marco Bezzecchi. The memory of the crash during the Sepang test — which forced him to miss the entire pre-season — and especially the one in Losail, was still too vivid. Nor should it be forgotten that he also picked up an injury while training just before the season opener, ruling him out of the first three rounds of the calendar.

Since the start of this campaign, both Aprilia and Martin have consistently highlighted the positive atmosphere within the garage. However, it would be naive to think that the attempted exit the rider initiated in 2025 did not leave open wounds that are difficult to heal.

With that context in mind, Yamaha approached Martin when it became clear that Fabio Quartararo had committed to Honda to lead the Japanese manufacturer’s project from 2027 onwards.

Yamaha’s determination to sign him, combined with a financial offer exceeding €6million per year, meant the Madrid-born rider did not hesitate in accepting the challenge proposed by the Iwata-based manufacturer — a brand he had always dreamed of working with.

“Since he was a child, Jorge has had a special devotion to Japanese manufacturers, especially Yamaha. That’s why, when they came for him, reaching an agreement became his priority,” a member of Martin’s inner circle told Autosport.

With his future settled and out of the equation, his next objective was to overcome the shoulder and scaphoid issues he had been carrying since his crash in Motegi, which forced him to miss four more races — adding to the 10 he had already sat out. Advice from Marc Marquez led him to change his recovery approach and place himself in the hands of the medical team that treats the multiple world champion from Cervera.

The Aprilia rider underwent surgery before the end of the year and kept the procedure secret, hoping to be fit for the first tests of 2026 in Malaysia — an overly optimistic goal he was unable to meet. His debut on the RS-GP was delayed until the two-day test in Thailand, where, just one week later, the new season got under way.

That championship has so far delivered what Martin’s fans had been waiting for: two second-place finishes (Brazil and Austin) and a sprint victory (Austin) saw him lead the standings provisionally in Texas at the end of Saturday. A year and a half since the last time, the Spaniard was once again the benchmark of the championship.

“Jorge’s is one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sport. After everything he went through last year, what he has done is truly remarkable,” said Pedro Acosta, who shares management representation with Martin.

Aware of what he has achieved — but even more of the effort it took to climb back from what once seemed an insurmountable fall — Martin knelt down in parc ferme at the Circuit of the Americas and began to pray, an unprecedented gesture in his usual repertoire.

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

“I’ve always been a believer, since I was a child. But this is my way of thanking the members of my family who pray for me — especially my grandmothers, who always keep me in their thoughts and write to me often to make sure I’m okay,” Martin told Autosport.

The devotion of his grandmothers, Pili and Juli, reaches levels that seem from another era. “They make sacrifices, like giving up chocolate from the start of the season until the end. In return, they only ask that nothing happens to me,” explained the rider, currently second in the standings, four points behind his team-mate Bezzecchi.

There are many kinds of faith, and everyone chooses their own. Judging by Martin’s journey over the past year, it’s clear that his is working just fine.

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– The Autosport.com Team