MARTIN RECALLS HOW A 2023 CLASH WITH MARQUEZ SPARKED MORE DRAMA
6 Oct 2026·
Jorge Martin says a clash with Marc Marquez in 2023 taught him to be more measured when speaking publicly about incidents on track. The memory has particular relevance this season: the Spaniards are separated by just two points with six rounds remaining in their 2026 MotoGP title fight.
Marquez strengthened his challenge at the Japanese Grand Prix, taking maximum points while Martin struggled to match the Ducati rider’s pace. Marquez is pursuing an eighth premier-class crown and a 10th Grand Prix title; Martin, who won the championship in 2024 ahead of Pecco Bagnaia, is aiming for his second MotoGP title. The Aprilia rider has not yet fought Marquez for a championship, and says he has never battled him on the final laps of a race. He hopes they will get that chance before the season ends.
Asked by AS about the biggest trouble he had got into with Marquez, Martin recalled being hit by him in 2023 and spraining his ankle. Martin said he blamed Marquez publicly after that race, then took out Marquez’s brother Alex at the following round.
“Wow, I’ve gotten myself into a lot of messes,” Martin said. “I think maybe in 2023, when Marc hit me once and I sprained my ankle. I spoke badly about that race situation. I blamed him, and then the next race I took out his brother…”
He reflected that comments made in the heat of competition can come back to a rider. “Often what you say comes back to you. Well, not often, it always comes back to you, sooner or later, because it’s racing and there are things that happen in races that you can’t avoid.”
Martin added that younger riders, or those less experienced with the media, may say the first thing that comes to mind. Learning to stay calm when expressing an opinion, he said, is something to work on over time.
The 2026 contest gives Martin little room for distraction as he tries to keep Marquez at bay and deliver Aprilia’s first MotoGP title. He recognises that Marquez is currently the stronger rider: the Ducati star has won six of the last nine races. But the Indonesian Grand Prix offers Martin a possible opening, as Marquez has never finished a Grand Prix there.