JORGE MARTIN SAYS HE’LL MOVE ON QUICKLY IF HE MISSES THE 2026 TITLE

Jorge Martin has entered the San Marino Grand Prix with a clear grip on the 2026 MotoGP title race, sitting 19 points ahead of Marc Marquez. With the season’s decisive stretch approaching, the Aprilia rider addressed what happens if he doesn’t take the championship—insisting that his mindset will move on quickly.

Martin, who has already won the premier class title once before in 2024, said the emotional impact would be real but brief. Asked by Sport whether it would be a “tragedy” to miss out this year, he agreed it wouldn’t be. “In the end, winning and losing for me… what comes next is the same,” Martin said. He added: “You cry a little, whether from joy or sadness, and you keep fighting, right?”

The Spaniard then set a tight timeline for his response to the outcome. “I’m going to give it my all for this world championship, but if I don’t make it, I’ll close my visor, be miserable for a week, and then I’ll get back to training and start thinking about next season.”

That forward focus is partly shaped by his move away from Aprilia at the end of the season to join Yamaha. Martin may have limited opportunities to test the 2027-spec machinery—along with Pirelli tyres—until Valencia, which would leave little time to transition if the title slips away. His comments underline that, regardless of whether he wins the trophy, he expects to pivot rapidly toward preparation for the next campaign.

The title race also carries extra historical weight for Marquez. The sources note that if he wins a record-extending eighth MotoGP championship, he could overtake Valentino Rossi as the most successful rider of the modern era. Marquez has previously said the championship would not “change his life,” despite the fact that it would represent a major achievement given the injury problems he has faced.

Martin’s own path to the front has been shaped by adversity as well. The report highlights that he feared for his life after his crash at the 2025 Qatar GP, and that he was not seen as a clear frontrunner for the title after missing two-thirds of the races last year due to a run of serious accidents.

Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi—Martin’s teammate and fellow title contender—has been described as facing the most pressure in terms of mentality. The sources point to his desperation to win the championship as a factor in a difficult spell before the summer break, which included two major crashes and a race ban for hitting a marshal. With Martin and Marquez leading the protagonists at this stage, the report suggests Bezzecchi’s mental approach could be the biggest uncertainty as the season heads toward its conclusion.