MARTIN SAYS MARQUEZ TITLE FIGHT FEELS MUCH LIKE HIS BATTLES WITH BAGNAIA

Jorge Martin says his previous MotoGP title battles with Francesco Bagnaia have prepared him for the challenge of taking on Marc Marquez in 2026. With seven rounds remaining, the Aprilia rider leads the standings by 12 points as the championship heads to the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

Martin has 306 points to Marquez’s 294, while Marco Bezzecchi sits third on 264. Marquez moved into the lead after winning at Misano, but Martin reclaimed top spot in Austria: he won the Sprint, then finished second in the Grand Prix after a brake problem left Marquez fifth. Ducati has studied the issue and is bringing a possible fix to Motegi. Marquez is confident the team has resolved it, while the circuit has not traditionally been a strong venue for Aprilia.

Martin does not see the identity of his rival as changing the essentials of a title fight. “It doesn’t change much. At the end of the day, Pecco was a rival, just as Marc is today,” he said. He acknowledged that Marquez is “a champion” with considerable experience, but added: “He’s an opponent just like the others.”

The Spaniard’s first championship challenge came in 2023, when inconsistency allowed Bagnaia to take the title by 39 points. Martin learned from that campaign and returned more consistently in 2024, winning the championship by 10 points. Bagnaia claimed 11 feature-race victories that year, compared with Martin’s three, but lost ground through points dropped, particularly in the Sprint races. Martin’s triumph made him the first rider in the MotoGP era to win the title with an independent team.

That experience is shaping Martin’s approach now. “I think I just need to focus on myself,” he said, noting that he had never been considered the favourite in his previous title campaigns. “I’ve already been in the title fight twice, and I came out on top once.”

The championship contest also comes amid major future moves. Martin is set to leave Aprilia for Yamaha under a two-year deal, intended to take him into the manufacturer’s new 850cc era. Aprilia, meanwhile, has signed Bagnaia to a four-year contract ahead of his departure from Ducati. For now, Martin’s attention is on maintaining his advantage over Marquez as the title fight resumes in Japan.