Jorge Martin ‘hasn’t lost my style’, MotoGP comeback ‘better than expected’

Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin says his MotoGP return from injury at the Qatar Grand Prix was “better than expected” and showed he “didn’t lose the style” on his Aprilia.

The 2024 MotoGP title winner has been absent since crashing after 13 laps of day one of pre-season testing in Malaysia, with a training incident prior to the Thai Grand Prix setting him back further.

Jorge Martin finally made his Aprilia race weekend debut on Friday at the Qatar GP, with the Spaniard completing a total of 34 laps and ending the day just 1.568s off the best pace down in 20th.

Commenting on his physical condition, Martin admits Friday in Qatar felt like the first day of pre-season testing and is “struggling” on the right side of his body as he is having to compensate for the injuries to his left wrist.

But overall, he felt is went better than he anticipated.

“I took a lot of painkillers, so now it’s not that bad,” he told MotoGP’s official website.

“I feel it [the pain] even more in the ribs than in the hand.

“But the thing is I’m doing everything with the right part of the body, so I’m struggling. I have a lot of arm pump.

"I need to take my time to get back to that speed and get back to that physical side because now it’s like the first day of Malaysia [test] for me. So, I need to take my time and be calm.

“I think it was better than expected. I think in the first lap already I was touching [the ground] with my elbows down and the style, I didn’t lose the style. So, I’m happy about that.

“I can have good photos, so this is good! But the important thing is I can ride the bike properly and be safe. So, I’m happy with that.”

Martin admits he couldn’t string more than two laps together during FP1, but by the second session he was able to push his body more and even offer Aprilia feedback about the RS-GP.

“I’m good. For sure, today was just a day to try my feeling on a MotoGP bike,” he added.

“I think it was a success because I could ride normally and do a lot of laps on the bike.

“For sure, the physical condition was an issue. I struggled, mostly in the morning, to make two laps in a row.

“But then in the evening I was able to make four, five laps [in succession]. So, I think the step was huge and we are in the good direction.

“I started to have some feelings on the new bike, I started to give some feedback to the team, which was the main thing. We are doing a great job, so just step by step.”