Jorge Martin: “Game on” between Aprilia and Ducati after Marc Marquez’s recent wins

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Jorge Martin says the fight is on between Aprilia and Ducati after the Borgo Panigale marque closed the gap between the two with a double win in MotoGP's Czech Grand Prix.

Aprilia started the 2026 season with a clear advantage over the rest of the field, with many speculating that the championship could be fought exclusively between Martin and team-mate Marco Bezzecchi.

However, Ducati has emerged as a much stronger contender in the European leg of the campaign, with Brno marking its fourth win in the last six rounds. Further, Marc Marquez, who had all but ruled himself out of the championship fight, is now firmly in the hunt again with back-to-back victories in Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Aprilia still remains ahead in the standings, with Bezzecchi leading Martin by eight points, but Fabio di Giannantonio and Marquez are now trailing by just 23 and 40 points respectively.

Asked about the contrast between his own double victory at Le Mans and his poor form in recent races, Martin said he was now expecting a fiercely competitive fight between MotoGP’s two Italian manufacturers.

“I think in that moment neither we were the best nor we are the worst now. It's just that we suffered for two races,” the Spaniard said.

“Now we go back to places which are more like Aprilia’s style, I hope to go back to the level we used to have.

“I said already at the beginning of the season that Ducati wasn't far. But they didn't put everything together and Marc wasn't at his 100%.

“Now I think both bikes are quite similar and the game is on for sure. We will have a nice championship till the end. I think this is good for everybody.”

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images

Martin’s Brno weekend was already handicapped by a double long-lap penalty that he had picked up in Hungary for causing a multi-bike crash at the start.

However, the 2024 champion never looked like a podium contender over the weekend, as he struggled to perform since Friday practice.

After going through Q1, he could only set the 10th fastest time in qualifying, which left him on the back foot for the remainder of the weekend. He wound up fifth and ninth in two races, while Ducati capitalised on Aprilia’s woes to claim a 1-3 finish.

Martin admitted he and Aprilia have lost direction after another weekend in which he was compromised by front-end issues.

“I'm happy with the overall weekend because I was improving a bit every practice,” he added. “But I feel we are really far away from Ducati at the moment, or from victory.

“I feel I don't have any confidence in the front. I always feel like crashing and there's something that I... We lost direction. I don't know why. We have to understand well.

“I hope that Assen can be a good place for us. Much, much more flowing, and this will help the Aprilia and my style. But, we need to improve.”