Despite a fall during his celebration, Martín returns to the top in Austin: "Winning means a lot to me"

Winner of the MotoGP Sprint in Austin, Jorge Martín is once again on top of the MotoGP world.

Published 28/03/2026 à 22:25

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Despite a fall during his celebration, Martín is back on top in Austin: "Winning means a lot to me."

It's been a long road for the 2024 world champion. Having secured the title at the Solidarity Grand Prix in Barcelona, Jorge Martín endured a terrible year in 2025, his first with Aprilia. Plagued by injuries, the Spaniard was never able to show his true potential on the RS-GP.

Now boasting a machine capable of consistently winning, as Marco Bezzecchi has demonstrated since the end of 2025, the Martinator knew he would have to start winning on his black machine sooner or later. And he did just that in the Sprint of the third round of the year, having opted to start with a medium rear tire, unlike the rest of the grid, who started with a soft!

« I'm so happy, thank you everyone, this is my first win in Austin in MotoGP"It's fantastic. It had been two years since I'd been able to race here and I'd really missed it. We made a decision that could have been a bit risky by going with the medium tire, but deep down I knew it was the right choice."

However, it was only on the final lap of the Sprint, particularly after his teammate Bezzecchi's crash, that Martín's strategy proved truly inspired. Just as he had during his 2024 title win, he had to contend with Francesco Bagnaia, overtaking him at turn 12. A victory that served as a thank you to Aprilia, and one that might make him reconsider what seemed to be a firm decision: leaving the Noale factory…

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"It paid off, I had to wait until the last lap, I've never won a race like that or even a Sprint, in MotoGP. Winning again means so much to me, thank you to Aprilia which is an exceptional team, everyone is helping me get back to my best and we're getting closer!"

This first Sprint victory in 511 days, since Saturday's race at the 2024 Malaysian Grand Prix, will nonetheless be remembered for the aftermath! While performing a wheelie, the Madrid native ended up on the ground, fortunately without serious injury…