Jorge Martin insists he has never been the favourite for the 2026 MotoGP title despite leading the championship for more than two months.
The Aprilia rider moved to the top of the standings after June’s Dutch Grand Prix, taking advantage of a run of difficult results for team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, who had won four of the opening seven races.
Martin has managed to maintain the lead in the championship since then, aided by a sprint win and a second-place Sunday finish over the British GP weekend.
However, with Marc Marquez scoring yet another victory at Aragon to close the gap to 19 points, the 2024 champion admitted he does not feel he is currently performing at the level of his main rivals.
“I think I’ve never been the favourite. I don’t feel I have the speed enough still to fight for victories every weekend. I need to continue improving,” he said in the pre-event press conference for the San Marino GP.
“We are all here to win. I will try to continue working to catch the speed of these guys [Marquez and Bezzecchi] because at the moment I feel a bit in the back. Always during practice, I lose three-four tenths, so I’m still not at my top level.
“But trust me, I am working hard to find that speed to try to fight with these guys to win the title, but it will be difficult. It’s never easy to win, so we will see during the season.”’
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Burak Akbulut / Anadolu via Getty Images
Martin has scored the fewest victories of the three championship title contenders, but he also remains the only one not to have missed a race weekend, despite his own injury woes.
While that may suggest he has been the most consistent of the three, his performance has also varied from track to track, much like Marquez and Bezzecchi.
Martin said he needs to understand the fluctuations in his form if he is to remain in the fight for the world title.
“I still don’t feel at my 100%,” he said. “There are some races where I feel super strong and other ones where I struggle. So, I need to understand this thing well if I want to continue battling for this championship.
“But I feel there are some upcoming races that are really good for me. “
