JORGE MARTIN SAYS APRILIA FRONT-END CHANGES HAVE IMPROVED HIS SILVERSTONE FORM

Jorge Martin believes he has finally addressed a front-end confidence problem that has been hurting his results in recent races. Speaking after Friday practice at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the Aprilia Racing rider said the changes made for this weekend have “improved quite a lot,” and that the bike is now working in the way it has previously at the high-speed circuit.

Martin was one of four Aprilias inside the top five during practice, and while he was the second-slowest of the group, he pointed to the overall direction of travel. He said the RS-GP “really works here,” noting that all four Aprilias that set times under last year’s qualifying benchmark suggested the machine remains a reference at Silverstone’s fast layout.

The Spaniard explained that, after a crash-strewn Barcelona weekend left him lacking confidence at the front, he and the team returned to an earlier setup direction. “We were looking a lot into the data of what was working in the first part of the season and we went back to that base, what we thought was the best option also for Silverstone, and it worked really good,” Martin said. He added that he could feel the improvement immediately after leaving the pits: “I think as soon as you exit you can feel it.”

Martin also described the Friday session as unusually informative, almost like a test day, because of the different parts being tried. “Overall today was a great day, a bit like a test day also because we had different parts to try, but I feel really good,” he said.

He linked the remaining challenge to the fact that he did not race at Silverstone last year, which he said affected his ability to adapt quickly on Friday. “Not racing here last season, it affected a lot on Fridays because you need to adapt, you need to work a lot on the power, on the electronics, on the engine brake. So we are trying to understand this,” Martin explained.

For Martin, the improvement is not only technical but also mental. He said once he felt the bike was strong at the front, he was able to commit and attack again. “I said ‘Okay, the bike is good in the front, I can attack’, and I felt like this,” he said, adding: “After Barcelona I’m starting to feel better with the front.”

When asked where he can make the difference at Silverstone, Martin focused on corner entry and braking confidence. “I feel I can brake really strong and go really strong into the corners, and the bike still turns,” he said. He also described the key to maintaining that advantage through the corner: “The problem is if you try this and then you go wide. So, I can stop the bike really good, then I can turn and I can exit fast. Overall, the balance of the bike here is really good.”

Friday also included a near-miss for Martin in FP1 involving Augusto Fernandez. Martin said he was close to the Yamaha wildcard as they headed onto the Hangar Straight, and to avoid contact he ran slightly wider and touched the grass. “I was just behind,” Martin said. “I think he [Fernandez] was on another line, but he stayed on the outside and I was really close, so I just went on the grass, touched some grass. But here we have this problem, but it’s part of the track.”

Fernandez later acknowledged the incident and offered an apology. “I was on my out-lap, I didn’t see him coming that fast, and I apologise to him if I disturbed him,” he said, after finishing the day slowest in practice.