ASPAR BACKS MARQUEZ OVER MARTIN IN MOTOGP TITLE FIGHT

With five Grands Prix remaining in the 2026 MotoGP season, Jorge Martin leads Marc Marquez by just two points. Marco Bezzecchi remains in contention, but trails his Aprilia teammate by 46 points. The title fight resumes this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix.

Former four-time world champion and team owner Jorge Martinez, known as “Aspar,” was asked which contender he would back. He said he likes both riders: he has a closer personal relationship with Marquez, partly because of his son Maximo and Marquez’s visits to train at his circuit, while Martin previously rode for him. Even so, Martinez would put his money on Marquez, citing the Spaniard’s mental strength.

Martinez pointed to Marquez’s performance at the Indonesian Grand Prix, a circuit he considers difficult for the Ducati rider. Despite having a less competitive bike there, Marquez finished first in the sprint and sixth in the Grand Prix. For Martinez, that ability to keep scoring when the package is not ideal says a great deal about him.

He also believes the machinery picture has shifted. “Aprilia has taken a step forward, while Ducati is having a harder time,” Martinez said, describing the Aprilia as perhaps the more well-rounded bike at present. Yet he argued that Marquez is extracting more from his Ducati than other riders on the same brand. That contrasts with last season, when, Martinez noted, even Marquez’s brother took some races away from him.

Martinez sees Marquez’s blend of aggression and judgement as a key advantage. He described young riders as relying mainly on aggression, with experience gradually bringing more thought into their decisions. Marquez, he said, has retained his competitive spark while becoming more measured.

The team owner also praised Marquez’s choices after leaving Honda, first joining Gresini and later moving to the factory Ducati squad. Martinez said those decisions reflected a clear priority: winning. “The team and the money weren’t important to him,” he said. “He looked for the opportunity that would let him fight for victory.”