What to expect from Jorge Martín at the Qatar GP?

If he lines up on the starting grid for the Sprint on Saturday at 19 p.m. French time, Jorge Martín will end a period of 146 days without a race in MotoGPThe last time the Madrid native was on track for a competitive session, he had just won the world championship title, ahead of his Ducati rival Francesco Bagnaia. Since then, the path has taken him first to Aprilia for the tests immediately following the Solidarity GP in Barcelona. Then, at Suzuka, the Spaniard suffered a nasty crash that prevented him from taking the start of the first Grand Prix of the season, in Thailand, and then another during training that kept him away from the circuits until this weekend.

With the number 1 plate on the front of his Aprilia RS-GP, Martín logically arrived with high expectations for this 2025 MotoGP season. A world champion changing teams is not unprecedented in history, and it has the merit of reshuffling the cards for the coming season. However, it would be far too early to have excessive hopes for the man who was the first to bring home the Riders' title within a private team in the history of MotoGP, which began as a category in 2002. By adopting a measured approach himself, Jorge Martín has ensured to avoid unnecessary pressure as he hopes to discover the handling of his new machine in racing conditions.

« The goal will be to gain some confidence with the RS-GP25 and start doing some laps. I don't know about my fitness, it probably won't be 100%. We'll try to do our best and improve gradually. Physically, I'm not even sure I'll be able to finish the race, but if we do, it will be a victory because it will mean I'm starting to recover. We have to take one step at a time to try to get back to our normal level as quickly as possible."

Magic back on a tour?

A clever way to slightly divert attention from a debut that is inevitably anticipated. Comfortable with the RS-GP in Barcelona last year, Martín was on the right track in Sepang, but two crashes in the first hour, the second of which seriously injured him, prevented a clear reading of his potential. Returning to Qatar, the Madrilenian will have to discover a machine whose development has progressed under the leadership of his new teammate, Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian put himself forward during the pre-season tests in Buriram, Thailand, and in the first Grands Prix of the year. Will his riding style be close to that of Jorge Martín, and will the latter be able to adapt quickly? While the Italian engineers were able to work according to the initial feedback from their rookie, missing all of the 2025 sessions prevented him from passing on important information on details of the RS-GP.

On a circuit he loves, it will still be difficult not to expect performances from Jorge Martín. For at least one lap, the reigning world champion should be able to raise the level of a machine whose place in the hierarchy is difficult to gauge at the start of the season. Ai Ogura, a newcomer to the Trackhouse team, is perhaps even a better benchmark for Martín than Bezzecchi, who shares the factory team garage with him! The Japanese driver's performances are excellent for a rookie, and the RS-GP seems rather well-built, and quite "easy" to ride. These characteristics can only reassure Jorge Martín, who will only have one free practice session on Friday before the practice session, which will determine the ten qualifiers for Q2. If he manages to get one of these passes, it would be good news for his still-bruised body, because he would not have to take part in Q1, and would therefore have a few more minutes of rest...

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