Aprilia’s Jorge Martin admits he is “not fully fit” coming into the start of the 2026 MotoGP season at the Thailand Grand Prix, following winter surgeries.
This weekend’s grand prix at Buriram marks Jorge Martin’s first season-opener since the 2024 campaign, after missing the start of last year with injury.
In total, the 2024 world champion competed in just seven rounds last season, while his winter preparations this year were interrupted by a brace of surgeries.
This meant he missed the Sepang test and had only two days of running on the 2026 Aprilia coming into this weekend’s Thailand Grand Prix.
“I feel really good, really enthusiastic about the new season; really looking forward to it,” he told the official MotoGP website.
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“Finally, I feel again in great form. For sure, plenty of room to improve still with the bike.
“But I’m just enjoying the moment, I feel the bike is working well.
“We’ve been really constant, let’s say, and with good speed in the test. Not for sure the favourites, but I feel strong and we’re ready to go.
“I’m not fully fit, let’s say. For sure, the injuries are recovered, but I still need some laps on the bike.
“I still need some fitness on the bike. For sure, you can train with whatever you want, but then you get the fitness just with the MotoGP bike.
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“There is no other bike like this one.
“So, I think I need a few races to get back to that fitness, also maybe to ride the bike a bit more efficiently.
“But everything is coming, and I just need to go step by step.”
Martin provides update on MotoGP future amid Yamaha links
It was expected that the week on the run-up to the 2026 season-opener would have been overshadowed by 2027 rider announcements.
However, as of Thursday at Buriram, only Marco Bezzecchi’s new Aprilia deal has been confirmed this winter.
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Martin is set to join Yamaha next year, but remained tight-lipped on Thursday when asked about this.
“I don’t know yet.
“My personal team is working on that. I really want to be present, I want to be focused on Aprilia because the bike is really good.
“We have a lot of opportunities to do really well, and the future will be the future.”
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