Former MotoGP champion Jorge Martin hailed his fourth-place finish in the Thai Grand Prix as “unbelievable” after revealing he was unable to feed himself just two months ago.
The Spaniard endured another difficult winter after follow-up surgery on last year’s wrist and collarbone injuries forced him to miss the Sepang test.
That meant his first proper experience of the latest Aprilia RS-GP came just a week before the Buriram season opener.
Eighth at the Thailand test, Martin stepped up to fifth in qualifying, repeated that result in the Sprint, then improved to fourth in Sunday’s grand prix for his best weekend yet at Aprilia.
“A super good race, I’m happy and proud of my winter. Two months ago, I couldn’t even feed myself! And now I’m here, and P4 in the championship. So it’s crazy, unbelievable!” Martin told MotoGP.com.
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“I think I did a good job. Aprilia did an amazing job, but I arrived into the test with a really open mind, trying to adapt to the bike, and it paid off.”
2026 Thai MotoGP lap times: The Top 6.
© Peter McLaren
Martin spent much of the race battling with Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez before crossing the finish line within sight of Raul Fernandez and the final podium place.
“Today I did another big step with my riding style. For sure I lost a bit of time fighting with Marc and Pedro, but I really enjoyed it,” he said.
“If not I think I could be on the podium or close to Raul. But this is racing. I need to improve a bit my qualifying and pace to fight with them.
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“Anyway, today was a race to manage the physical side, tyres and fuel. I’m super happy that I was able to finish it.
“Last laps were tough, I couldn’t even be full gas on the straights [due to wheelspin] so it was really complicated.”
Martin’s team-mate Marco Bezzecchi dominated from lights to flag, while KTM’s Sprint winner Acosta leaves Thailand leading the MotoGP standings.
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